I wish
by Dragon of Avalon
Summary: Rhaenys Targaryen just wants to live with her brother again. But Angra Mainyu won't allow her wish to come true without some challenges thrown her way. (This story is being rewritten as Wishing for an Everdistant Utopia. I am keeping it up until I catch up to where this story is. This is a first story and is rather rough.)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **Author's Note: I do not own Fate Stay Night or A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones. Also, this premise has been also used by Sword of Ice and Fire by hcdevid and A Pendragon in the North by Spidey-phd.**

 **Chapter 1 The Dragon Reborn**

Rhaenys Targaryen sighed. Her new grandfather was an improvement over the one who sent her to die in the Holy Grail War, but he was also insane. _"At least he is too weak minded to resist my magecraft."_ She was not intimidated by his mood swings. She used to be the master of Berserker after all, she kept that juggernaut of madness under her thrall with her power.

"… this Dornishwoman…" Aerys hissed out the word with scorn. Rhaenys idly wondered if he had the wits to recall he descends from Myriah Martell and Dyanna Dayne. "… passing on her defective genes and spawning a red eyed…"

Rhaenys watched her mother attempting to not cringe or show any fear to the Mad King. "How dare this weakling attempt to make _MY_ mama cry." Rhaenys decided speak up and work some of her magic.

"Are you saying that the dragon should be ashamed to be _different_ from ordinary men?" Rhaenys asked. Aerys stopped his ranting and glared at his granddaughter. Rhaenys focused prana and send a spell to Aerys. "If anything, my ruby eyes should be taken as proof that we are different blood than the men who serve us." Rhaenys smiled. " _My mental compulsion of Grandfather is ludicrously easy, controlling Berserker took much more prana than this feeble-minded twit._ " Unfortunately, she was not able to completely dominate the madman's mind. Her new dragon core that reincarnation provided her gives her access to large amount of units of prana that she can release all once, but her young body is not as capable of using that safely yet. _"I do not have much knowledge of hypnosis magecraft either."_ Rhaenys mused. While her wishcasting sorcery trait allows her to get an effect without knowing the exact specifics of the spellcasting involved, affecting the mind using a brute force method carelessly would likely completely obliterate Aerys mind. While she would not mind using her magic to provide Aerys an "accident" she still needed to account for the fact that there are schemers in the court are attempting to disinherit her father and get her uncle on the throne to gain a regency, if Aerys had an accident now then her mother would be scapegoated and then…

"Begone from my presence." Aerys sneered.

Elia grabbed her daughter's hand and led her away from her goodfather as fast as she could, without looking like she was fleeing. "Rhaenys, you should not be so bold with the king, he is easily angered." Elia told her daughter.

"But mama, he is going to put a stop to all those mean nobles saying mean things a about my eyes." Rhaenys said, turning on her charm. Judging by the expression on her mother's face, her cute act is not enough to reassure her. Not that Rhaenys blames her, her mother lived in fear of Grandfather's mercurial moods, without the reassurance of powerful magecraft that would defend her.

Her crimson eyes were a source of pride for her. They were the eyes of Illya's mother Irisviel. "Illyasviel von Einzbern was a sad girl who had a wretched existance. I am Rhaenys Targaryen, now the strongest magus in this dimension." Rhaenys told herself. The former homunculus girl is attempting to leave behind her depressing former existence and excite herself with the thought of being royalty. Even with that she is still looking forward to the reincarnation of her brother. _"I hope he forgives me for using the grail."_ Rhaenys thought. A few years living like a princess is a definite improvement over the cold days living as the lesser grail and weapon of the Einzberns. But there is still something vital missing and Rhaenys can't help but wait for impatiently.

"When are we going to Harrenhal?" Rhaenys asked her mother.

Elia smiled. "Soon sweetling, are you looking forward to your father and Ser Arthur displaying their skills to the realm." Rhaenys watched her mother smile at the thought of leaving the Red Keep for a while. She couldn't blame her. Elia Martell was held in disdain for only giving birth to a daughter and not providing a Prince Rhaegar a "proper" heir. And everyone would agree that being away from Aerys Targaryen for any period of time is a welcome blessing.

"Yes mama." Rhaenys smiled at her new mother. _"Having an actual family again is amazing, but when is Shirou going to be reborn again?"_ Rhaenys wondered. She frowned at the reminder of the absence of her family. _"Hopefully soon."_ she thought.

"It's time for bed." Elia told her daughter. Rhaenys sighed and agreed with her mother that she wanted to sleep. Elia looked startled at her unexpected acceptance. Normally Rhaenys disagreed with her mother and father for the sake of being difficult. It isn't as if there was much ways for her to amuse herself. Elia frowned and looked concerned.

"Sweetling, you know you can always depend on your father and I to protect you." Elia told her daughter.

"I know, I just want to go to sleep." Rhaenys said. _"Great, she noticed I am sad."_ Rhaenys thinks. While she wants her brother back as soon as possible, she was not going to tell her mother to get pregnant again as fast as she can. _"I almost killed her at birth and the people at court harass her enough giving birth to "Rhaenyra Targaryen"."_

* * *

 _"Honestly this new body of mine is amazing."_ Rhaenys mused. Her old homunculus body had a large prana output, but was physically stunted at a prepubescent state. Her dragon core can potentially provide even more prana than anything Illyasviel could use.

 _"And I don't even have any physical weaknesses that plagued me before."_ Rhaenys thought. While her body would never reach Leysritt's physical capabilities, it wouldn't be the frail thing it was before. _"Maybe with a more womanly body Shirou won't look twice at any other inferior tart."_ Rhaenys smirked. Her wishcasting ability allowed Rhaenys to craft her body to identical to Juzteaze Lizrich von Einzbern. _"She was beautiful and flawless, the pinnacle of the Einzbern homunculi."_ Rhaenys thought. Rhaenys hoped that with her dragon core she would grow even more powerful than the Archmagus.

 _"I hope that papa will give me a wyvern egg soon."_ Rhaenys thought. She snorted at what the Targaryens called dragons and the pinnacle of beasts, the magi of her old world would call wyverns of the monstrous class of magical beasts. Dragons are the pinnacle of the Phantasmal Beasts from her world, and the most powerful wyvern she knows of did not live long enough to approach that level. Balerion the Black Dread is certainly not to be taken lightly, but Heroic Spirits from legend dealt with creatures on a far higher level than it.

 _"I am certain that with my dragon blood and prana output I shouldn't have any issues getting it to hatch."_ While Rhaenys would have preferred to have what she would call a dragon, she would be willing to settle for a wyvern. It would certainly give Rhaenys a lot of prestige in this world. _"If I have a wyvern then these nobles will have to see my superiority over that weakling Viserys."_

The grail provided Rhaenys many boons, her old capabilities and the knowledge of the Einzbern homunculi the were her predecessors, but the strongest of those blessings is her dragon blood. Saber was gifted with dragon blood by the sorcerer Merlin in her legend. It is common knowledge in the magi community that this provided Saber immense potential in the field of magecraft that she squandered. Saber didn't even wield all the prana she could have potentially used in life. Saber's corruption by the grail certainly showed how much power she was holding back. Rhaenys had no intention of letting her powerful dragon core, wishcasting ability and homunculi knowledge go to waste. "Now if only I get my hands on an egg."

Given the tragedy of Summerhall Queen Rhaella would not budge on her decision to not give her granddaughter a "dragon" egg. Prince Rhaegar was born in the tragedy and agreed that dragon eggs should not be given to children and risk another accident occurring. Rhaenys would not admit out loud, but this concern for her safety touched her heart and brought tears to her eyes. She distracted herself by complaining about being smothered. "Honestly, I was the master of Berserker and am a powerful magus, I am certain that I will be fine." Not that anyone knew that the sweet "delicate" princess was a force to be reckoned with.

Then she sighed and contemplated the worries that she desperately tried to ignore before.

 _"I wonder how Angra Mainyu will twist my wish to make it as horrific as possible,"_ Rhaenys thought. _"As long as Shirou and I are together, I can deal with whatever it throws at me."_

 _"Don't keep me waiting too long, onni-chan,"_ Rhaenys thought.

* * *

 _"Well, I can certainly see where this is going."_ Rhaenys thought as she watched her father put a crown of winter roses on some brown haired girl. Illyasviel von Einzbern was conditioned to despise Kiritsugu Emiya for abandoning the Holy Grail War and leaving her behind just to raise some common whelp. While Rhaenys was not happy at the insult to her mother, even she could not help but yearn for the thought of being with her brother again.

Illya was deadset on killing the boy who stole her father away from her, but could not help but be swayed but his noble character and dedication for his loved ones. _"I will not allow Angra Mainyu to tear me apart from my brother."_

Rhaenys sighed and hoped that this situation will resolve itself soon enough. _"Are you almost back to me Shirou?"_

 **AU I know this is going to be a controversial decision but Elia only has one child, Rhaenys, and Aegon doesn't exist in this world. I am not sure if he is a fraud or not, but given the fact that Illya hated Shirou at first for "stealing" away Kiritsugu from her and Irisviel I feel that it would be fitting that Rhaenys would have a brother who "steals" away Rhaegar from her and Elia.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Author's Note: I do not own A Song of Ice and Fire or Fate Stay Night.**

 **Chapter 2 Wishcrafting favors**

Prince Lewyn Martell was a passionate man who loved life and took no greater joy from being with his family. Now though that passion is now despair and his family has holes that could not be filled. His gentle, kind niece was now dead. Her body defiled and desecrated. _"All of this because that Silver Ponce could not accept only having a beautiful, intelligent daughter."_ Lewyn thought. Lewyn condemned the Dance of Dragons for ruining the reputation of capable female rulers. _"Even if Elia couldn't have sired a son Prince Viserys could have married Rhaenys and Rhaegar could have his descendants inherit the Iron Throne."_ Lewyn may not approve of incest, but his grandniece marrying her uncle would have been better than _this_. Hells, Rhaenys marrying into the usurper's line, like Argella Durrandon did, would have been better than the travesty that occurred.

 _"Rhaenys."_ Lewyn bit back a sob. The Lannisters presented the Usurper with both Elia and Rhaenys's corpses as a token of "loyalty." Elia was stabbed, and stabbed and stabbed by some sadistic demon. Her face frozen in horror and pain that was clear for all to see. Her gentle daughter, who always cringed when she heard to swords strike together, was murdered just for being "dragonspawn." The head of the princess was smashed against the wall by the Mountain that Rides at full force, and if that was not enough the Lannisters then burned her body black. A just punishment for the Mad King's granddaughter they said. Cold blooded savagery is what it is.

His grandniece was a sweet girl, who always gave him a laugh with her antics. Lewyn can close his eyes and think of better days when Rhaenys got her uncle in trouble for irritating her. "Mama, do not worry I won't let some ugly bitches make me feel bad about my eyes." A three name days old Rhaenys told her mother once. When Elia heard her daughter curse she demanded to find out who taught her daughters words that proper ladies shouldn't utter. "Uncle Oberyn told me that they were just jealous," a beaming Rhaenys told her scowling mother.

Or the incident where she asked Arthur, Oswell and him if it was true that the Kingsguard spend their nights "cleaning" their swords to relieve stress. If it weren't for the fact that his niece would have surely killed him if he told her daughter this, he would have smirked and told her that, "No I sheath my sword in a suitable scabbard to relieve stress." Lewyn sighed and reminded himself that they were gone.

Lewyn pulled out and looked at the favor Rhaenys gave him. "This is filled with my wish for you not to fall in battle." Rhaenys told him with a bright smile just before he went to that fateful battle with the gods damned usurper. She made him promise to keep it with him always. During the battle he took what he thought was a fatal wound and was certain that the Corbray he dueled would have delivered him to the Stranger's embrace. Then he woke up as a prisoner to the Usurper and found out that Selmy turned his cloak. _"Vile, turncloak stormlander, he should have never joined the Kingsguard."_ Lewyn thought. At the time he thought this craven show of treachery could not be surpassed. He was wrong. _"The Lannister do not allow others to surpass them when it comes dishonor."_ Lewyn thought.

The boy prodigy Jaime Lannister stabbed the Mad King in the back and stood by on the Iron Throne while his detestable father was having the princess tortured to death and murdering a helpless girl.

The Stranger embracing him would have been more merciful than living to be the hostage of the Usurper. Thousands of his countrymen are dead, and his nephew Doran bartered for someone as meaningless like him. _"Gods damn Jon Arryn."_ Lewyn thought. He would have been given the gift of mercy if that man didn't order the Usurper to use him against his kin.

 _"Hand of the King,"_ Lewyn scoffed, _"I do not know why he didn't just declare himself king_." Lewyn believed that Robert Baratheon would just let his Hand do all the work and just focus on his pleasures, he had seen just that with Aerys. _"That man can claim to be righteous all he wants, but he is no better than the Mad king."_

"Uncle, are you alright?" Arianne asked him. Lewyn was startled, he was so deep in his thoughts he didn't notice his other princess grandniece walk into his room. "Of course I am sweetling," Lewyn fought a cringe at inadvertently using the nickname Elia bestowed her daughter. "I am not feeling well right now, I'll play with you tomorrow." He watched Arianne walk out of the room and do whatever children do to amuse themselves.

He was back in Sunspear after so long. As lovely as his home is, it would always be missing the family that have been cruelly taken away from them. He vowed to himself to defend all of his remaining grandnieces, whether they are Princesses or Sands. He would never forgive himself if another of them suffered Rhaenys's fate.

 **Author's Note: Can you guess what happened and how Prince Lewyn survived? How shocking that the Lannisters brutally destroyed a corpse past the point of recognition. I would like to hear what my viewers have to say, so feel free to leave a comment. This is my first story and writing is a lot harder than I expected so I will admit my writing is a bit rough right now.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Author's Note: I will admit that this story's chapters are kind of rough and my chapters are kind off short. This is my first fic and I am trying to get a hang of writing. I am not sure if you noticed but I am editing my current chapters and trying to work out all the kinks. I apologize if that causes any confusion. Also, I do not own Fate Stay Night, Game of Thrones or A Song of Ice and Fire.**

 **Chapter 3 The boy who dreams of fire**

Jon Snow lived a content life at his home at Winterfell. His father took him in when he sired Jon out of wedlock and made sure he was a part of the Stark family. While his wife Lady Catelyn Stark did not approve of Jon's presence at Winterfell her husband refused to contemplate sending Jon to foster with another house.

Jon has several half-siblings, but Arya is the one he can not help but feel closest too.

 _"On**-c*an,"_ this thought continuously penetrates his mind when he thinks about his younger sister.

Mayhaps it is the fact that Arya is the only child of Catelyn Tully that inherited the bulk of the Stark looks that Jon should credit for creating a close bond between him and his sister. The only trait Jon did not inherit is the gray eyes of his father. Jon has light purple eyes that his keen ears overheard servants credit to a dornishwoman named Ashara Dayne.

Even though he is very close to Arya he can not help but keep his dreams a secret from her. He dreamt of fire consuming all and him callously walking past the victims of the calamity in an attempt to save himself and get away. He dreamt of a hero tearfully smiling at rescuing when he could no longer move. He dreamt of a golden treasure revitalizing him.

 _"If I speak to father about these dreams, I think he might call me mad."_ Jon thought. He dreamt of having a body made of swords, but when he said those magic words nothing happened. He will admit that there is something a bit unusual about him aside from his dreams. He attempts to observe his body and occasionally _grasps_ a golden energy coating his body. He also smells a fire coming from the depths of the crypts that none of his other siblings claim to smell.

Jon sighed. He wanted to continue his training with the Master of Arms, but Rodrik Cassel told him to rest his body and not to overwork himself or else he would end up hurting himself. _"None of the adults believe when I say that I do not feel sore or tired."_ While his swordsmanship and riding are above average for his age, Jon was the most pleased with his impeccable archery. _"I do not see why the adults make such a big deal of it, using my bow does not cause me much strain."_

Since he does not get to train himself as much as he would have liked he decided he should help out the people at Winterfell. While the cooks were at first reluctant to allow the son of their lord to work with them, even if he was just the bastard child, they could not help but be in awe in Jon's cooking talent. Even Lady Stark could not find any complaints she could make at the meals that Jon created.

If he was not training himself or helping with the meals for the people of Winterfell, Jon was often with his siblings. His sister Sansa was focused on being a lady and often ignored him, but if she needed some help Jon was swift to provide what he could. His brother Robb often trains himself as well and tries to learn more from their father on how to be a good lord. His brother Bran often begged Jon for his secret on archery, but after not getting an answer that satisfied him often delighted in playing games with him. His younger sister Arya-

A vision of silver silk for hair and crimson rubies eyes crosses his mind.

-often escaped her lessons with her septa to either ask for help training or just talk to him about her day. His youngest brother Rickon was often with his mother, but Jon would always provide him any favorite treat that he asked him for, even if he had to go and make it himself at inconvenient times

While Jon's life at Winterfell was not perfect, his status of illegitimate never caused him any distress and any attempts by others to needle him with his status failed.

Jon went to sleep again and was not surprised to find himself in the throes of another dream.

He sees a silver haired girl with red eyes. "Ple**e d* **t k**p me wai*i**g too long, I want my bro***r wit* me"

He sees a golden-haired woman with black armor in front of a cavern, "S* y*u f**r ha*e come."

He sees a girl with black hair and blue eyes, "Alright w* n**d to stop S*k*r* and Zou*e* f**m acti*a*t**g the *rail."

He sees a purple haired girl with matching purple eyes, "Sempai."

He sees a women with a large mane of light pruple hair and with a band covering her eyes, "Wil* yo* hel* me save *aku*a."

He then dreams of fire, an all consuming fire.

 _The starting penalties is five. The starting penalties is five. The starting penalties is five. The starting penalties is five. The …_

Jon woke up and felt his heart racing. He does not know who the girls are, but he knows that they are important to him.

As distracted as he was at his vivid dream, he failed to notice the light blue lines that covered his body before they faded away.

 **Author's Note: I am sorry if my use of "*" is a bit distracting, but Shirou at the end of the Heaven's Feel was losing his grip on his mind so I felt it would be appropriate if he had difficulties recalling the specifics. Illyasviel had an easier time adjusting to the reincarnation due to the circumstances of when the grail was used. Namely she was in okay shape and Shirou was a dead man walking. That's why it took Shirou a long time to recall things as Jon. He still has his talent with archery and cooking, those are pretty ingrained in him. Jon does not have a body made of swords in this world. I'll try to explain what this entails in later chapters, and what caused this change. I am pretty sure that Type Moon fans already have some sort of inkling where I am going with this. All the other girls? Well it says in the summary that Illya wanted to be with her brother, but it didn't go over the exact specifics of what she wished for. Just wait and see what that means in later chapters.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Author's Note: I apologize for constantly changing my already published chapters. For better or for worse I am going to leave them as they are now. Before anyone complains about Shirou getting too much power because of his prana core I think he isn't too overpowered. While the amount of prana his new core is able to create is much larger than what his old 27 circuits we capable of, at this time I would say that Jon can only mentally access about 150 units of prana reliably, Rin had more than three times than in od. He does not have the necessary knowledge about arias or magecraft to make the best use of his new abilities. He only has Structural Grasp and Reinforcement, and those spells do not use that much prana. I will go over the specifics about the reincarnation later, but it's a bit different than Roa's. Thank you for your interest in my story and please leave a comment. :)**

 **Chapter 4- A Dragon by my side again**

Jon dreamt of magic. He did his outmost to keep this revelation a secret, but he could no longer deny the mystical nature of what he sees when he slumbers. He asked Old Nan about dreaming about fires and spells and learned that ancient greenseers and some Targaryens had dreams involving the arcane. Given this illuminating story he asked her for more stories about magic. While most of the southron servants and even some of the northeners in Winterfell scoffed at Old Nan's tales and dismissed them as an attempt to entertain children, Jon kept an open mind and asked Maester Luwin what he knew about magic.

"I am sorry to disappoint you Jon, but the tales of magic are just tales now. While magic may have been a great force in the world in the past, after the Doom of Valyria it has faded from the world. Most magic practitioners are merely lying mummers now."

Jon was disappointed to hear that, but he knew that his capabilities are certainly no lie. While getting information on whatever he gazed on and making objects stronger are not amazingly powerful, they were not mummery. It took him some practice to learn how to do it, but Jon now reinforces all the food he creates. While his cooking had no need to be even more delicious, reinforcement provided even more nourishment and health to those who consumed them. _"I am glad that I am able to give Rickon healthy treats that he loves to eat."_ Jon smiled at the thought of his youngest brother.

It was several days before his ninth nameday and he received a test of courage from Robb and his new companion Theon Greyjoy. While the Ironborn never liked him, Jon was nothing if not courteous and most attempts by the kraken to treat him poorly was stopped in his tracks by the people of Winterfell, who all think highly of the hardworking and kind son of their lord. "He's just jealous of your talent with a bow." The master at arms told Jon.

Jon agreed to explore the crypts. The only person who stays in the crypts for an extended period of time is his father, who pays respects to Jon's deceased grandfather, uncle and aunt. Most people are unnerved at the thought of staying in a cold, dark place filled with Stark ancestors.

What truly convinced Jon that he should explore the crypts is a tale that Old Nan mentioned concerning dragons and Winterfell. Apparently, some Targaryen prince visited the castle and asked Lord Cregan Stark for aid during the Dance of Dragons. The tale went that there was clutch somewhere hidden in the crypts.

Jon had claimed on several instances that he smelled fire from the depths of the crypts, only to be told by his siblings that they don't smell anything and be asked to accompany them out of the crypts when they felt rattled.

Jon noticed that the energy that he perceives in the air has grown stronger and that the scent he perceives is close by. When he reached a black treasure chest with red designs he knew he found the source of the scent.

While Jon didn't have the key to open the lock he now had the skill to use reinforcement to raise his physical strength to the point where that would not stop him from reaching his prize. He gasped and smiled widely at the three eggs he discovered. One was cerulean like a winter rose, the second was a bold crimson like a ruby, and the last one was a light yellow like gold. They all shared silver colored veins contrasting against each egg's primary color.

"I can't wait until I show Arya, Bran and father." Jon thought giddily.

* * *

Lord Eddard Stark looked at his son and did his best to hide his unease. "Jon, where did you find these eggs?" he asked.

"I found them in the crypts." Jon told his father with a wide smile. "Would you look at this one, its just like a winter rose." Those words caused Ned's stomach to drop to his feet.

"Why were you in the crypts?" Ned asked his son. Jon has had a history of occasionally being odd and confounding people. When he started asking Old Nan and Maester Luwin about magic Ned was notified but was not too concerned at the time. Bran also had an interest in magic and he remembered Lyanna and Benjen being amazed with Old Nan's tales when he was young boy.

"I told everyone that I could smell a fire in the crypts and no one believed me. When Old Nan told me about dragon eggs being hidden in the crypts I just had to search for them." Jon told his father.

"Does this have to do with Jon's Targaryen lineage?" Ned wondered. When he took in Jon as a son, at the pleas of his sister Lyanna, he had hoped that the secret of his parentage would be buried and never surface. Looking into the violet eyes of his son Ned fears that won't be the case.

"Well you know you are not supposed to be in there alone, so I am afraid-" Ned started to say.

"Papa," Jon's eyes teared up as he started to beg, "Please let me keep the blue one, it makes me so happy and I promise I'll take good care of it."

"How can I say no when he is looking at me like that." Ned thought. "Alright you can keep just one, but you must keep it in your room and not to show it to everyone you see. Someone might try to take it from you." Ned heard the tales of how Targaryens were given their eggs in their cradles and didn't have the heart to rob a precious part of his son's heritage from him. "Just remember to ask Old Nan about the Tragedy of Summerhall before you go back to your room," he told Jon.

* * *

Jon has been drenching his egg in his blood for several days now. The golden energy that has always coated his body healed his wounds so there was no danger in shedding blood to the point where he should be dead ten times over. While his wisdom in shedding so much blood is questionable, Jon had enough foresight to find a spot where not many venture. Winterfell is a large castle after all, and only Bran attempts to explore and attempt to find all its secrets.

 _"And now it is time to focus my magic and reinforce the egg."_ Jon thought. While he heard of the Tragedy of Summerhall, Jon was certain that as long as he used magic instead of fire there shouldn't be a problem.

After pushing his magic in his egg Jon heard a crack, he panicked and was scared he destroyed his egg. But fortunately, it just shook several times before the beast inside hatched.

It was a small blue colored dragon with four legs and two wings on his back. It squealed for attention and pleaded for nourishment. Jon decided he should reach Old Nan as soon as possible and ask her what dragons eat.

 _"It's like a long-lost part of me has returned now that I have a dragon by my side."_

 **Author's Note: I know that A Game of Thrones dragon only have their wings and their hind legs, but this is a Fate Stay Night dragon. Jon did put a lot of his dragon blood on the egg and its magical energy could have caused alterations. Try looking up the Nasuverse article online on dragons and see the picture on it if you'd like to see what I'm going for.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **So, I am going to keep thoughts and maybe some spells as italics to make it easier for you guys to tell the difference between speech and thoughts. Someone left a comment about this and I feel that was a reasonable thing to ask for. All my chapters should have this change soon enough. Shirou and Illya come from the Heaven's feel route. This won't really come up in my story's plot but there was a king and a queen who visited Winterfell with several dragons. The dragons ended up laying a clutch of eggs that the Stark lord at the time "forgot" to inform his king about. He ended up hiding the eggs in a box with Targaryen colors, to let people in on the secret know what it contained, in the crypts. Then the Starks forgot about them over time. Even if the eggs could not be hatched by any offspring from the Pact of Ice and Fire, dragon eggs can at least be sold at a high price. It was not Vermax who laid the clutch Jon found in my story. This is kind of unnecessary information, but I thought you might want to know more background information.**

 **Chapter 5 Dishonor, Duty, Family**

Lady Catelyn Stark has always resented Jon Snow as a living representation of dishonor that she is forced to live with at her husband's order. She resented the bright violet eyes that she attributed to the beautiful dornishwoman Ashara Dayne, the woman she feared that Ned loved more than her and would have married if duty didn't compel him to wed her instead. She even prayed for his death in a moment of weakness and was horrified at the thought that her prayer might have been answered.

When Jon was a babe there was a period of time when he was so warm that it physically hurt people's hands to touch him. While that was a cause for concern the problems didn't end there. Jon also started to spit out a black tar from his mouth. Maester Luwin was unable to find an explanation for Jon's condition and did not know what he could do for help. Seeing her Ned heartbroken at the thought of his son's death led Catelyn to pray to the Seven and plead for them to spare Jon. _"I will make him a proper Stark and be a mother to him."_ She prayed silently in her sept.

When he eventually recovered Catelyn looked him in the eyes again and to her shame could not bring herself to honor the vow she made to her gods. While she did her best to ignore him, she could not help but feel rage at his multiple talents. His archery was ridiculous and her precious Robb could never match him no matter how hard he practiced. _"The smallfolk whisper that they never seen him miss his mark."_ The thought of Jon's talent in combat brought fears of Daemon Blackfyre, the bastard pretender that left behind many wars as his legacy.

And now she didn't know what to say to what she is looking at now.

"Didn't I tell you to not try to hatch that egg." Ned asked his, whatever Jon is to him. At the very least Jon was intelligent enough to hide his dragon in a bag and avoid letting anyone hear it.

" _A dragon, how did he get an egg in the first place?"_ Catelyn thought. She feared that the start of another war was soon on the horizon. King Robert Baratheon has no love for the dragons and having someone hatch one would certainly cause him to declare war.

"No, you told me not to put myself in danger to try to hatch my egg." Jon told Ned.

"Jon, go to my chambers and wait there. We'll join you there shortly. And try not to show anyone your dragon, this is a matter of life and death." Ned told Jon. After Jon left with his dragon Ned turned to Catelyn.

"How is this possible?" Catelyn shrieked. Ned made a gesture to keep her voice down. She blanched and did her best to not accidently let others find out about their secret.

"Prince Rhaegar entered a polygamous marriage with my sister to sire the "Prince who was Promised." He claimed that the union of Targaryen and Stark lines would create the person destined to bring the Targaryens back to glory and bring dragons to life. I believed this was merely insanity, but now." Ned told his wife.

" _But now we have an actual dragon to deal with."_ Catelyn thought. "Ned, we can't just kill this dragon and hope that Robert Baratheon will never find out about this."

"I have no intention of killing my son's dragon." Ned said.

"Why did you take him in and bring dishonor to our house by calling him your bastard?" While she could understand taking in the son of his beloved sister Lyanna. She couldn't understand why he claimed he was his own bastard child.

"Because it was the only way to protect him, the Lannisters murdered a helpless girl and desecrated her corpse and Robert did nothing to bring them to justice. I refuse to allow Jon to be killed for being "dragonspawn". I know that I angered you for bringing dishonor to you and our house. But doesn't your house words put family first, before honor?" Ned asked his wife.

Catelyn didn't know what to say.

"I am certain that this will be the start of a new war. Mayhaps it won't occur for years, but it is inevitable now. I know that many of the Riverland houses were loyalist and I hope that with an actual dragon they will flock to my son's side." Ned said.

Catelyn believed that many in the Riverlands would be happy to support the dragon against the stags and lions. "I should let my father know this so we can start preparing for war." Catelyn told her husband.

"We must keep this secret for as long as we can, at the very least until Jon's dragon is large enough to be mounted." Ned said.

Catelyn and her husband knew that the start of a new war was coming soon, and that they must start to prepare for it as quickly as possible.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Hi, I have a bunch of stuff to do for school, so it might take me a while to update, but I still plan on continuing this story. Anyway, Ned is certainly more aggressive about defending Jon. This is because he saw the Lannisters killing Elia in an extremely brutal way and presenting a girl's corpse after it was really messed up. And Shirou was such a helpful guy in Fate Stay Night who helped everyone who asked him something, so of course Ned would be much more defensive about his son being killed for "dragonspawn" nonsense by Robert.**

 **Chapter 6 Shall we start a Dance?**

Queen Rhaella Targaryen has lived a rather unpleasant life. Her father married her to a brother she did not desire to wed in order to fulfill a prophecy of some madwoman hailing from the forest. Her husband shamed her by taking on many mistresses during the early start of their marriage. Then her grandfather tried to bring the dragons back and only succeeded in getting many people killed.

Rhaella could not help but bitterly laugh at the fact she used to think that her situation could not get worse. After The Defiance of Duskendale her husband became even more eratic and even violent towards her. Having to sleep with septas in her bed to prevent "adultery" was better than the beatings he gave her. When her granddaughter was born Rhaella started to feel hope that the Seven were finally listening to her pleas. Her husband started to gain some level of sanity after the birth of Rhaenys. Rhaella even spent a period of time without having to fear her husband coming to her bed.

And then her son ran off with the wolf girl.

Rhaella hated the courtiers who slandered Rhaenys for having red eyes. While Rhaella had plenty of experience of being the joke of the court, she would never forgive slander towards her children and grandchild being spread by the court. Unfortunately, her gooddaughter had a frail constitution and would have had difficulties giving birth to an heir. _"So my son decided to go find his Joanna."_ Rhaella thought.

While Rhaegar may have claimed to have been trying to fulfill the detestable prophecy that was the root of her marriage and the bane of her life, Rhaella doubted there were noble intentions with his "union" with Lyanna Stark. After the scandal with the Queen of Love and Beauty, her gooddaughter took Rhaenys and stayed at Dragonstone away from Rhaegar.

The Brandon Stark came to King's Landing demanding Rhaegar's head. That was the point where Rhaella's life took a turn for the worst. After the "trail by combat" her husband held for the Starks he surprised her by visiting her chambers and "siring" their daughter Daenaerys. When Jon Arryn refused to kill his wards, the war began.

So many things happened Rhaella could not keep track of everything, not with Aerys watching everyone, but especially her, like a hawk. The only solace was the companionship of her granddaughter. But, now.

"If there were any gods in this world they would curse you to the deepest hells, Tywin." Rhaella thought. While Aerys may have treated his old friend and Hand extremely terribly, sacking the city that the two of them vowed to make great, during the better times, was unforgivable. Elia and Rhaenys could have lived, but didn't due to the lion's cruelty. Elia could have been an even better hostage against Dorne than her uncle. Rhaenys could have been used to cement the kingship of Robert Baratheon by marrying his heir. But the Lannisters tortured Elia for hours and destroyed her granddaughter's head and burned her body. _"I hope it was in that order."_ Rhaella thought. She was well aware of how painful burning to death was.

Now she was in charge of her fallen dynasty. Protecting her children with very little allies. And now she was dealing with a particularly difficult one.

"Dorne will never suffer having a Blackfyre on the throne," Prince Oberyn Martell said.

Rhaella glared, if her situation was not so bleak she would never stand for that insult towards her grandson.

"King Viserys, Third of his name will take Princess Arianne Martell as a wife, if he wants to be the king of Dorne that is." Oberyn said.

Rhaella could see the hidden threat clear as day. If she tried to refuse this marriage and Viserys gets the Iron Throne back Dorne will declare its independence.

"I will give you some time to process our offer, but I don't think there is much time for you to waste," Oberyn said with a disgusting smirk on his face.

Rhaella waited until she was far away from him before she thought about her problems. While her grandson was born from a "marriage" the Faith would declare blasphemous. The only ally in Westeros she could get at the moment is Dorne, which would never stand for his ascension. _"Ned Stark declared him his bastard and is hopefully sheltering him."_ Rhaella thought. While it broke her heart to do this, she was going to have to rob her grandson's birthright. If she didn't then her children would always be in danger without any allies to aid them. She prayed to the Seven that she was making the right decision, and that all her family would be safe and happy one day.

 **Dorne is aware of Jon's parents, but they would rather have a Targaryen than a "Sand" as king. I personally don't see the difference because with an actual dragon Jon would be the most Targaryen out of the Targaryens. And the Valyrians did have polygamy. This is going to make things much more messy later on.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **Hello, sorry for the wait but here's a new chapter. Thank you, for everyone who followed, commented and/or read this story.**

 **Chapter 7 Shall we Sail?**

Ever since the end of The War of the Usurper Monford Velaryon has had no end of troubles. Not only did he have to deal with the usurper's brother being granted an honor far too high for a second son like, he also had to listen to him whine about how he deserves more than that. As frustrating as that was, it was not as painful as the loss that the Rebellion cost him. His brother Monterys died in the middle of a storm when he was attempting to sail back to Driftmark. He went with his wife to visit to her home of Lannisport and then the war happened. As much as he didn't want to welcome that woman back to their ancestral home, he was not going to allow their child to be left anywhere near that butcher Tywin Lannister. He was glad when she ended up dying in childbirth, it made it much easier for him to deal with his new niece. What grieved him is that she took after her Lannister mother, with her gold hair and green eyes. But she was still his niece, and he would never be able to face his brother again if he ever mistreated her.

Monford named her Alyssane, after the best queen Westeros had ever seen. " _Certainly better than that lion bitch spreading her legs for the Usurper."_ She grew up to be a lovely young girl with beauty, intelligence and poise. Unfortunately, those blessings are not going to help her gain the hand of a worthy husband.

House Velaryon does not have high standing due to the fact they used to be very close to the Targaryens. Even though that connection has waned ever since the end of The Dance of Dragons, that connection is still a detriment with the Usurper as king.

If that was not enough for Alyssane, she also has her mother's ancestry tainting her. With Tywin's betrayal, not many of the former loyalists would ever want to marry a Lannister, especially from the unimportant branch at Lannisport. The rebels would scorn her proud Velaryon ancestry, and the loyal bannermen of the dragon kings would disdain her lowly Lannister blood.

It grieved Monford that he may end up having to give her up to an unworthy man. It would take an unreasonably large dowry to find someone closer to level his niece deserves. He was especially unhappy seeing how stoic she generally is. He wanted to make brother's daughter as happy as he can, but life is not fair. Any of the servants that dared to make her feel unwelcomed because of her mother ended up dealing with his wrath. While he can prevent people from treating her badly, he can not make them accept her.

When she started playing with a sword his first instinct was to put a stop to it. Ladies are not supposed to play with weapons. But seeing her so happy made Monford too unwilling to put a stop to it. Alyassane was very talented with weapons, especially with a sword. He would even claim that she might have been able to reach the level of the gods forsaken Kingslayer. It filled Monford with rage that his niece had the misfortune to be born a girl. If she had been a boy with that level of promise there would have been many opportunities for her. Now she is a beautiful, intelligent, graceful young girl with a talent for swordsmanship that is not able to find herself a good husband.

He would never send her to court. She was a Velaryon and he doubted that the queen would sympathize with her just because her mother was from the lesser branch of Lannisters.

And now he was being ordered to go to White Harbor. Monford was not thrilled having to go north, that was the territory of the usurper's best friend. But the safety of Driftmark was at stake and he could not refuse.

"Aly, would like to join me on a trip?" Monford asked his niece.

"I would, uncle." Alysanne Velaryon told her uncle.

It made him sad that his niece is not as happy as most young noblewomen are, but he hoped that the trip and open seas would excite her. He also did not want to let her out of his sight, not when many in Driftmark are not happy at her presence.

 **So now we have a new character here. I am sure that most people can guess who it is. Because Alyssane has Velaryon and Lannister ancestry, you can say that she has a dragon and lion motif at the same time. If you read my story feel free to leave a review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **Hi, I am sorry if my update speed is a bit inconsistent. I've been busy lately and that messes up my writing. I have this chapter and the next one planned to be Westeros characters, but after that it will be back to the Fate characters. Sorry, if my chapters are a bit short. I try to do my best to try to reach a thousand words. I also plan to have a chapter that explains the how magecraft works in this world.**

 **Chapter 8 The Doe girl's in the Dragon's Lair**

Maester Cressen has spent a large amount of time as the maester of Storm's End, but decided he was better suited helping Stannis Baratheon in his new home of Dragonstone. While he knew that Stannis resented being denied his birthright, Cressen was honestly shocked that the Queen did not demand that Storm's End and Dragonstone be given to her children and that the King leave his brothers nothing. She was certainly grasping and cruel enough to demand such a callous act. Even though that could have happened, Cressen believed that Stannis was not given his due.

They would have starved if it was not for the Onion Knight, and the King gave the man who held his castle very little gratitude. Cressen could not help but feel anger at Jon Arryn for not raising Robert to be a more responsible man. Robert stayed in the Vale when his parents died, and did not step up to be the lord of the Stormlands when he should have. It was very little wonder that some houses ended up being royalists.

Stannis was a man that lacked his brother's charisma, and Cressen could not help but want to help him the most out of the three Baratheon siblings. Robert was the king and had very little need for him, especially with Jon Arryn at his side, and Renly was the younger brother of the king and was given many indulgences. But Stannis gave his honor and did his duty and received no gratitude for it.

He knew that Maesters were supposed to be loyal to a specific castle, and that moving his services to Dragonstone to help Stannis was frowned upon at the Citadel. But he has come to care about Stannis like a son. Stannis was the one who needed the most help in Cressen's mind.

Stannis has been having many issues with his new bannerman. They were not happy having to serve Robert's brother. But Stannis was a stern man and was able to gain some control over the old royalist houses.

And now he was educating the man's two young daughters, just like he used to do with the Baratheon brothers.

Argella was a spirited young girl who excelled in just about everything she was tasked to do. She did her best to appear like the perfect young lady. For the most part she succeeded, but Cressen has witness her in more relaxed situations. But he could not help but be impressed at her emotionless demeanor, she likely takes after her father in that regard. She was a black-haired girl with lovely blue eyes and Cressen was certain that her future beauty will help her get a good marriage.

Shireen, on the other hand, was the meeker sister. It still made Cressen feel sad seeing how prone to melancholy she is. He, Davos and Argella all do their part in trying to help smile more often. He still felt rage at the dragon loyalist that said her birth cursed the island.

When Shireen was born there was a slew of smallfolk being found dead with most of their blood missing. The more superstitious smallfolk blamed the girl and held her accountable for these unfortunate incidents. Cressen knew that they prayed for the return of the Targaryens and that they are resentful of their new lord.

"What do you know about magic?" Shireen asked him.

"I am afraid that it has likely died out with the dragons. The Citadel are extensive researchers of the world and they have found that most tales of magic are mummery and lies. The mystics of Essos are mostly charlatans that rob money from the gullible." Cressen told the girl.

Shireen frowned at that and dropped the subject. Cressen wished he knew more about young girls, it was tiring watching her being so unemotional. Even Stannis attempted to be more considerate for her than Argella, which is more than Lady Selyse can claim.

Most of the smiles that he was able to catch are after she practices archery. While this was not considered a ladylike past time, he was willing to look the other way. Argella declared that Queen Alysanne was a noted hunter and archer in her day, and she was considered the greatest Targaryen Queen of her dynasty. He was certain that Stannis, Davos and several other people were aware of this secret, but they all would not take away something that would make the stoic girl happy.

He shuddered. He just felt the sensation that someone was watching him. He looked around and tried to see if any of the people of Dragonstone have decided to arrange an accident for him. He could not find anyone, but he was certain that someone was nearby.

When no one appeared, he decided that he should go finish his duties. Cressen was not fond of Dragonstone, especially during times like this. He lamented how King Robert rewarded his brother with this ominous castle.

 **So, now we have all the Fate heroes accounted for. The ones that do not resemble their Fate appearances are Sakura and Shirou. Sakura used to have black hair and blue eyes, which the Baratheons were known to have. I would say she is happy with her new looks. Roa from Tsukihime did not take after his original appearance, he even changed genders when he was in Ciel. He was also spiritually kind of messed up when he ended up using Archer's arm. That could have plausibly damaged parts of his soul that stored the information of things like his appearance. Which would make his reincarnated self not resemble his original body, unlike everyone else.**

 **P.S. I think in the English Unlimited Blade Works anime Illya called Rin a vulgar doe when they had their battle and she had her alchemy pierce Rin's gemstone shield. So, with the Baratheon's looks that house seems just perfect for her.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **Hello, everyone. I apologize for the wait but here's a new chapter.**

 **Chapter 9 The Pleasure of Evil**

Barth was born into the life of a simple commoner of the Reach. His family had too many mouths to feed and gave him to the faith to become a septon. He supposes that they gave him his name in the hope that he will reach the height that the Hand of the Old King reached.

He still retained the memories of his old life as a member of the Holy Church. While he focused his attentions on hunting down Dead Apostles and heretic magi, he still had devoted his life to the Lord. It was uncomfortable practicing a new faith, but over time he became adjusted to it.

When his old memories returned he was horrified at his sadism and attempted to live his life without indulging in any pleasure. Unfortunately, the influence of Angra Mainyu was still embedded into his heart and his resolve waned as time went by. When Barth heard of a minor nobleman that no one stopped from violating women living in his land and having him in his reach, Barth decided that he should take advantage of his abilities and stop him.

The sheer pleasure he took in watching the pitiful man suffer and plead disgusted him at first. But then there were many and many horrible people in this new world of Westeros that hurt others for no reason. Barth's empathy waned after watching the cruelty of nobles towards the smallfolk of his world.

Then he heard of the birth of the granddaughter of the Mad King. Silver hair and red eyes was the signature of the Einzbern homunculi. When he went to King's Landing he witnessed her powerful magic circuits and knew that she was the Lesser Grail of the Holy War that led to his new life.

He remained in King's Landing until near the end of Robert's Rebellion. He noticed that Aerys Targaryen was placing wildfire throughout his city and was amused at the thought that it could suddenly catch on fire and destroy the lives of many unwary people.

Then Tywin Lannister sacked the city and Barth decided he should take his chance with the Lesser Grail. While it was trying to nullify the wildfire in the Red Keep he payed the Dornish Princess a visit.

His old weapons the Black Keys were created from Christian bible verses. The Faith of Seven's text was able to create the blades, but they lacked the magical characteristics that made them potent weapons against the undead. But that did not matter to Barth. The weapons were easy to create and high in number.

Planting the keys in the Dornishwoman was very cathartic to him. When he channeled the admittedly meager amounts of magic energy that his still underdeveloped circuits could produce over the cursed energy of his heart he was easily able to gain the attention of the Lesser Grail.

Just before the homunculus opened the door he used his skill in spiritual healing to make sure the Dornishwoman was lucid enough to witness the grail enter the room. When she gasped in horror he took that moment to impale her brain at the peak of her terror. When he tried to converse with the winner of the Holy Grail War and try to gain information of his reincarnation she managed to teleport away using magecraft.

After that he remained in King's Landing to see what would occur with the dead Martell and missing Targaryen. He stoically witnessed the Mountain that Rides grab a random girl and destroy her head. Silver hair and red eyes were not very common and trying to masquerade a girl's corpse as the grail was likely the best option left to the Lannisters. He idly wondered if Tywin was aware that the Targaryen Princess was still alive. He was sure that she had enough magical knowledge to compliment her incredible circuits and would be perfectly capable of mentally ensnaring people to fit her purposes.

After his revelry in the Sack of King's Landing he decided that he should head to Dorne. Oberyn Martell was well known for his bastards and when he impregnated a septa, it was simple to arrange an accident for the septa and help the poor child in her time of need. When he eventually came for the girl he it was laughably easy for him to gain an invitation to join the household of Sunspear.

It amused him more that he could say watching the grief of the family of the woman he tortured to death. They even asked him for counsel from time to time. This brought feelings of nostalgia for the Tohsaka girl that was left under his wing after he murdered her father and arranged for her mother to be crippled mentally.

He mentored Tyene Sand in the matters of the faith. By having Tyene's trust he was able to get more influence over the rest of the Sand Snakes. He even managed to get Princess Arianne Martell to see him as a source of advice. After the tensions of her parents led to Princess Mellario leaving for her homeland it was a simple matter to gain the trust of Arianne.

His efforts were rewarded when he discovered that Prince Doran was planning on marrying his daughter to Viserys Targaryen. He also learned of the offspring of Rhaegar and Lyanna, and the contempt the Martells have for him. He was relatively certain that the boy will likely be the Emiya master of the Fifth Holy Grail War. The Magus Killer adopted him and sired the grail after all.

All he needed to do now was teach his charges more about the Blackfyre Rebellion's and inflame their disdain for House Blackfyre. He was certain that the Emiya boy and the grail will come into conflict with the Martells sooner or later.

 **So now the circumstances of how Elia Martell died have been revealed. When Rhaenys saw that her mother was dead with no hope to heal her she used her wishcast to teleport, something that her immense magical power was able to fuel. Now we end the chapter with Kirei using his position to influence the Martells and making them grow more resentful and spiteful. The black keys may be from the Nasuverse, but the Faith of Seven is close enough to create the blades. At least in this story. They just don't have that much magic capabilities in this new world.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **Hello everyone, sorry for the wait. In the comments someone asked what the last chapter was all about. For all of you who aren't fans of the Fate series that was Kirei Kotomine. He was an antagonist who could only feel pleasure when committing acts of evil. I am not sure if you guys caught it, but his reincarnation tried to fight off Kirei's influence until he saw a low-level noble taking advantage of his position over the smallfolk. Barth took a Dexter Morgan type approach and that lead to Kirei taking charge. I might do a story showing extra information about Barth growing up and his time in Sunspear, but that will only be later on since that would give spoilers for this story. Thank all of you who are following, favoriting and/or reading this story.**

 **Chapter 10 The Winter Rose Dragon**

Despite the miraculous hatching that took place two moons ago there has not been many changes in Winterfell since that event. Or, at least that is what Lord Eddard Stark is attempting to enforce. His son's, no matter who sired him he has long since accepted him as his son, dragon is growing at a fast rate and consuming many resources that he is honestly alarmed at how soon the secret will be revealed.

Ned has now invited several trusted members of his household into their conspiracy in hopes of eventually coming up with a plan.

His wife Catelyn Stark. She may have disliked having a bastard child of his in Winterfell, but even she could not deny that Jon needed his help and would long since be dead without the story he concocted. Her family is the Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, which fortunately had several loyalist houses that would certainly help defend a dragonrider of House Targaryen. She has sent messages to her uncle Brynden Tully.

While it grieved Ned that he could no longer count for the aid of his foster father Jon Arryn, he would not risk Jon's safety. Ser Brynden would hopefully have information on the Vale and how likely it would be that they could be swayed to their cause.

Lord Wyman Manderly of White Harbor was summoned to Winterfell and would hopefully arrive soon. He is the wealthiest among Ned's bannerman and his aid would help them find allies and feed the glutton that Jon's dragon has turned out to be.

Maester Luwin and Old Nan were both entrusted with this secret due to the knowledge they both possess. Maester Luwin attempted to learn the higher mysteries in the Citadel and has some insight into how the old dragons of the Targaryen's were raised. Old Nan was the most reliable person in Winterfell that remembers the old tales of magic and some of her advice correlates with what Maester Luwin advised.

What concerned Ned was that the dragon was growing at a pace that even Maester Luwin and Old Nan find shocking. Not only did it need to eat an increasingly large amount of meat for its growth, chaining it up someplace to keep it hidden would cripple its growth and could leave it too feeble to defend Jon in the future.

He feared that someone would find out about the dragon and inform his foster brother about it. Robert hated the Targaryens, and with Jon being the son of Rhaegar he would surely kill him. The Lannisters would never allow a threat to their queen and their hold on the Iron Throne and would surely try to kill Jon and his dragon before they can grow strong enough to defend themselves.

He prayed to the Old Gods that one day Jon and his dragon will become strong enough to defend themselves from everyone who would attempt to harm them.

* * *

Jon felt a bit guilty for using his limited skills in magecraft to help his new dragon grow stronger. He knew that it caused everyone else to worry about how they will keep it hidden. But, his dragon relied on him and helping it grow stronger would surely be vital in the future.

He reinforced all the cooked meat and milk it ate, and used the link created from hatching it with his blood to transfer prana into it.

He still dreamt of an all-consuming fire. With the dragon's light blue and silver scales he decided that Dreamfyre would be a good name for it. Dreamfyre from the old Targaryen dragons had the same colors and when it was attacked in the Dragonpit it was able to take down its attackers before it died.

Now he was taking Dreamfyre, who now had the body the size of a large dog, to a secret meeting that his uncle summoned him to.

When he entered the room he saw his uncle, Lady Catelyn, Maester Luwin, Lord Manderly and the Blackfish. Lord Manderly and Ser Tully gaped at Dreamfyre.

"Now you see the reason why we called on you two for aid." His uncle said.

 **So now we have the beginnings of a conspiracy. Dreamfyre is one of my favorite dragons from the series and I felt it would fit Jon since he often dreams about the fire that Shirou witnessed. The fact that it tried to take down its attackers before it died reminds me of how Archer fought Berseker in the Fate route to buy everyone else time.**

 **The reason that Jon calls Ned his uncle is because he recalls that Kiritsugu rescued him from the fire and was overjoyed that he was able to save him, Jon doesn't feel comfortable calling anyone else father since it would feel like he was betraying Kiritsugu's memory.**

 **Feel free to comment on how you think the story is going, and what you think about the name I gave Jon's dragon. Think of it as the size of a Rottweiler with large wings.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 **Hello everyone. I had some extra free time, so I decided to write another chapter for this story. I understand that I have introduced many new things and that the story might feel rushed. I looked over it and I think that from now on I will focus on Jon and the people who are around him. All other characters that I introduced are going to show up later when the action is about to start. I will likely create other stories showing what Barth/Kirei is doing at Sunspear and about the girls at Dragonstone, but later since their roles will be important and I do not want to give spoilers too early.**

 **Chapter 11 Leaving the Nest**

The sight of the majestic creature from legends has left Lord Manderly and Ser Tully speechless. Its cerulean and silver scales glittered brightly in the dim light of the torches. Its body is the size of a large hound, a far cry from the feeble dragons that remained after the Dance of Dragons. Its wings are robust, and Jon yearned for the day where he would be able to take flight on his mount. Its four legs are strong and allowed Dreamfyre to stand proudly. And finally, the dragon had vibrant violet eyes that would be the envy of any amethyst.

"As you can see my nephew is a prince of House Targaryen and has managed to hatch a dragon from its egg," Ned said.

Lord Manderly and Ser Tully were still recovering from their shock and remained silent.

"We all know that the king and the Lannisters will never stand for a Targaryen dragonrider to draw another breath. I have summoned both of you here to prepare for what is to come. I am aware that the Riverlands has many loyalist Houses that still yearn for Targaryen rule. I would like to ask you, Ser Brynden, how many would help me defend Jon from the Lannisters and Robert," Ned ended his question with a grimance.

"There are several Houses that would have happily risen for the Targaryens no matter what my brother had to say. I am certain with an actual dragonrider to declare for and their Lord Paramount's order that most of the Riverands will take up your nephew's cause."

Jon watched his uncle frown sadly when Ser Tully called Jon his nephew.

"Lord Manderly, your House came to the North after being exiled from the Reach and received the aid of the Starks and recovered and thrived in your new home. Will you help House Stark in its hour of need?" Ned asked.

"Of course I will. There is no need to doubt my House's loyalty to the Starks. I would like to ask why you have summoned me, why not the Karstarks or Umbers?" Lord Manderly asked his liege lord.

"Not only was I certain that I could place my trust in your House, White Harbor has resources that are now necessary. Dreamfyre is now two months old and has grown rapidly from the size of a cat to its current size."

Lord Manderly and Ser Tully looked shocked at that and they looked apprehensive at how fast a creature of fearsome and legendary power is growing.

"Jon, I am sorry to say this, but with how fast your dragon is growing I am afraid it will not be able to remain hidden in Winterfell for much longer." Ned told his nephew sadly.

Before Jon could say anything Maester Luwin hastily started explaining this decision.

"Jon, when Maegor the Cruel created his Dragonpit for the mounts of House Targaryen, that began the steady decline of power of the old dragons of your House. If Dreamfyre remained here we would need to start chaining it up to keep it hidden. It has been observed that the dragons of the Dragonpit did not respond well to captivity and grew feebler that its ancestors." Maester Luwin said.

"I do not want to be separated from Dreamfyre," Jon declared.

His uncle seemed even more sad than he was before, but he did not look shocked at Jon's decision.

"I thought that might be the case. I have consulted with Maester Luwin and have decided that it would be best for you to head for Essos. Maester Luwin has studied the higher mysteries at the Citadel and has informed me that the Maesters do not take claims of eastern sorcery seriously. If there were any tales of a dragon at Essos, hopefully they would not be taken seriously." Ned said.

"Jon, I know that I have treated you unfairly and that I have made it clear that I wanted you gone from Winterfell. But now that it is happening I regret it. Your uncle, no your father is clearly heartbroken about this decision. And I have now seen that you make Robb, Arya, Bran, Ned and Rickon happy by being a part of their lives. I have had words with my husband about your origins, and I apologize for my treatment of you and for how long it took me to understand that you are family." Lady Catelyn said.

Jon was honestly shocked that Lady Catelyn would feel sorrow at him leaving Winterfell. Then again having a dragonrider in the family would be much better than a bastard.

" _I should not be so hostile to her. My uncle has placed himself and his House in danger for his sake and it would be unjust for me to remain angry at his wife."_ Jon thought.

"And just who is going to watch over the lad when he is off in Essos? He is just nine namedays old." Ser Tully asked.

"I was planning on having Rodrik or Jory take him there and defen…" Ned started to say.

"I will take him with me." Ser Tully said.

Everyone looked shocked at this turn of events.

"I am certain that Cat here would be thrilled that the Bastard of Winterfell will be gone from her presence as her uncle's squire." Ser Tully said.

Jon watched Lady Catelyn cringe at this. He could not deny that sounded reasonable and plausible.

"And well, I am certainly not growing younger and I would love to take a tour of Essos and see what the Free cities have to offer." Ser Tully said.

"But you are in Lord Arryn's servi…" Ned attempted to protest.

"I am certain that a request from his ward will certainly allow Lord Arryn to understand the circumstances and release me from my service. And Lysa has been telling me that she is a grown woman now and no longer needs me to protect her." Ser Tully said.

Jon saw that Lady Catelyn looked unnerved at the mention of her sister.

"Ser Tully…" Jon tried to talk but now he was the one being interrupted.

"Call me Great Uncle Brynden. I have heard a lot about you, mostly negative things but I am certain that I want to help you. I went to the Vale in order to help my niece Lysa when she first got married, but she is now settled in her new home and my presence is no longer necessary. Now that I have heard Cat's regrets about you, I am certain that you need help and that I am the person capable of helping you." Ser Brynden told Jon.

"I would like to discuss this later with you." Ned said.

Jon was certain that the presence of Lord Manderly was the only reason why an argument has not taken place.

"I was also hoping to contact the Velaryons and I believe that White Harbor has some dealings with Driftmark." Ned said.

"Yes, my lord. My House has some dealings with them regarding trade." Lord Manderly said.

"I plan on letting the king, the current king know that the Manderlys have been having a "disagreement" and a request that the lord come to White Harbor." Ned said.

No one commented on Ned's discomfort when bringing up the king.

"House Velaryon has strong ties to the Targaryens, they would be the best people to consult about the remaining loyalists in the Crownlands. Although it would likely be necessary to show Lord Velaryon Dreamfyre to get his aid." Maester Luwin said.

"Jon it is time for you to go to bed, remember to keep Dreamfyre hidden from sight." Ned said.

Jon was assigned a new room as a "nameday gift" it was certainly private and had enough room for Dreamfyre. Lady Stark also let the maids be aware that Jon should clean up after himself and that they should not go into his room.

He was certain that this discussion is not over, but he knew that his uncle would not change his mind.

* * *

"Why do you have to go?" Arya asked him.

"Ser Brynden wants to tour the Free Cities and he has invited me to accompany him. It is a grand opportunity." Jon said. He had to admit saying goodbye was harder than he expected it to be.

"Things won't be the same without you here." Arya said.

"I'm sorry, but Father has made up his mind." Jon said.

Bran and Rickon were also upset, but they were taking the news better than Arya. Bran was sad, but he was also happy that Jon was going to go on an adventure. Rickon did not seem to understand yet what Jon going to Essos entails.

"Will you write often?" Arya asked.

"Of course I will." Jon said.

"Fine," Arya left in a huff.

* * *

"Brother, is life in Winterfell really so bad?" Robb asked his brother.

"It is not, I am accompanying Ser Brynden because Father thought it would be a good opportunity for me." Jon said.

"When will you return?" Robb asked.

"I am not sure yet." Jon said.

"I want you to return soon. I am ashamed to admit this, but I have been jealous of you and I fear that has ruined our bond." Robb said.

Jon was surprised at this admission.

"Its just that you are good at so many things and…" Robb's eyes started to tear up.

"It is all fine, we are family, we are brothers. I am going to come back, and things will get better. I am certain that when I come back I will have many stories to tell, that even Old Nan would not know." Jon tried to reassure his brother.

"Thank you." Robb said.

Jon held back a sigh, his choice to leave Winterfell was a harder one than he was expecting. He now only had four days left with his siblings before he goes to White Harbor and meets Lord Velaryon. He could not help but dread the meeting that is vital to his safety and House Stark. Jon vowed that he would convince Lord Velaryon to support him and his family.

 **And now Jon is leaving Winterfell and going to meet up with some important people at White Harbor. I decided that Brynden Tully would be the best person to accompany Jon because he seems like an awesome character from canon that would have a lot to teach Jon. I will leave Brynden's reasons and explanation to Jon for a later chapter. I know that the Dragon of the North also has Jon squire for Brynden, but I'll be honest and say that I haven't read that story. I would like to thank all my readers, I'm sorry that my updating speed is a bit random. Life has a habit of dumping responsibilities and tasks on me.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 **Hi everyone, sorry for the wait. We are now at the meeting between Jon/Shirou and Alyssane/Saber. All three dragon eggs will hatch at some point, but it will take a while since while Jon has the other two with him it would look suspicious to Brynden if he handed out something like that so fast. Also, this won't be stated outright in the story, but the reason why Alyssane was not liked by the household of Driftmark is because she was still struggling with the after effects of being Saber Alter and her Charisma skill has been fluctuating from rank E to B.**

 **Chapter 12 You are my Sheathe**

Artoria Pendragon has adjusted to her new life with some difficulties. Her last memories before being reincarnated was the end of the Fifth Holy Grail War. When she was exposed to All the Evils in the World she shamefully faltered and became corrupted. When her old master Shirou Emiya attempted to duel her, in order to save Sakura Matou, she was overpowering him until the Einzbern master and Rider interfered when she was distracted. " _If my Instincts were not dulled that would have never happened,"_ Saber thought with some irritation.

Shirou was a dead man walking and used his final projection to conjure Rule Breaker, the Noble Phantasm of Caster. He pleaded to cut the connection between the Matou girl and Angra Mainyu. When Illyasviel tested the dagger's power by using it on her corrupted form, it proved its effectiveness by cutting her off from Sakura and Angra Mainyu. She then moved Saber closer to her old Master. She had not been aware that Shirou had her lost Noble Phantasm, Avalon The Everdistant Utopia. It was certainly a shock, but seeing her precious scabbard again helped Saber when she was attempting to fight the tainted grail's mud. When being right next to him was not healing him fast enough Illyasviel begged Saber for some of her blood to transfer magical energy into her old master directly. When that proved fruitless, Illyasviel was filled with determination on how the Holy Grail War was going to end. After giving Illyasviel more of her dragon blood to create a contract between them Saber took Shirou's comatose body closer to the Greater Grail. Rider used Rule Breaker on Sakura and Illyasviel killed the last remaining crest worm belonging the Zouken Matou. Then she made a wish.

"I wish for all of us to be born somewhere else, where my brother and I would be the strongest magi. And that his magic will heal him instead of creating swords in his body." Illyasviel said.

After that she was reborn as Alyssane Velaryon of Driftmark. While the hatred and malice of All the Evils in the World has faded she was still having some trouble with her dragon blood. Dragons are the most powerful of Phantasmal Beasts and people who ingest their blood tend to lose their humanity and transform into monsters, like Vortigern did. Merlin made sure to leave alterations when he implanted dragon blood in her body to prevent that very thing from happening, but Angra Mainyu's influence has awakened her draconic nature. Fortunately, at this time the only tell of her body's transformation is her eyes occasionally turning gold.

While this was a cause for concern, Saber did her best to suppress her dragon nature. Illyasviel's wish has made it rather likely that her old master was reborn, and he was the one who likely had her scabbard and Excalibur. When she saw Avalon, she could not resist putting her holy sword back where it belonged. At the end of the war they were both inside Shirou. If she could find him then her scabbard would fully heal her.

She was aware that at least Sakura and Rider were both in this new world. Her ability to breathe magical energy made it simple for Rider to detect her at Driftmark. Given the fact that Rider was observing the Velaryons and other Crownland houses it was likely that Sakura was one of the Baratheon girls at Dragonstone.

Now she was going to head to White Harbor with her uncle. This trip was a welcome change from the dull routine at Driftmark. She was aware that her marriage prospects were not the best, which made her uncle willing to let her practice swordsmanship and riding. Practicing her swordsmanship reminded her of simpler times with Ser Ector and brought a smile to her face. There were few good memories she had left, and she doubted that her uncle will let her take care of a lion cub.

Saber was looking forward to her first trip away from her new home, it was nice being away from a household that looks at her with trepidation.

* * *

White Harbor was a rather cold place filled with snow. The last place Saber saw that had snow was the Einzbern's German Castle. She then noticed her body resonate with the prana of someone nearby. It was certainly a surprise to detect magical energy, when most of the mystery remaining in this world seemed feeble.

The sound of pounding footsteps grabbed her attention. She then saw a brown-haired boy with bright purple eyes run up to her.

"Saber…" the purple eyed boy gasped.

While purple eyes are not extraordinary to the Valyrian descended Velaryons, this was the first time seeing purple eyes reminded her of Merlin.

"Sheesh, do not run off so fast. Oh, I see that the Velaryons are here. But what is a Lannister doing here with you?" A man with a weather-beaten face asked.

Her uncle Monford was swift to join her when he noticed that someone was approaching her.

"This is my niece Alyssane, and while her mother may have been from Lannisport, my niece is from a proud Valyrian family, Blackfish," Monford said.

Saber then saw her uncle try to hide a cringe, proud and Valyrian are not words one should say in the stag's kingdom.

"Well Lord Velaryon shall we meet with Lord Manderly?" the Blackfish said. He seemingly did not take any offense at the word "Valyrian".

Her uncle then nodded tensely.

"Jon, why don't you take accompany this fine lady to her quarters?" The Blackfish told Jon.

Her other uncle, the natural son of her grandfather Lucerys, Aurane Waters accompanied her and made sure to keep his eye on her.

Her half-uncle was a hard person to understand. At times he seemed sympathetic to her unpopularity at Driftmark due to having the blood of the Lannisters, but he often remained distant from her.

Saber was attempting to hide her excitement, she was certain that Jon was Shirou and wanted to get her noble phantasms back. All she needed to do is find some privacy to confront him.

While everyone else was distracted she noticed this "Jon" sniff like a hound and move his eyes towards a seemingly inconspicuous building. Looking at the direction he turned she saw a bird made from white threads.

 **So now we have Saber in the story! And if you were not aware of it Rhaenys/Illyasviel can make white bird familiars from her hair. Rhaenys is going to be watching Jon for a while before she officially joins him and Brynden Tully. It's not like she can just suddenly show up and Brynden would just accept that without asking uncomfortable questions. Sorry for my slow update speed, I have college classes and that takes up a lot of my time. Anyway feel free to leave a review.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 **Hello, everyone. I am sure that many of you are looking forward to the meeting Jon and Saber. Anyway, to make it clear both Avalon and Excalibur Morgan were inside Jon since his reincarnation. I posted on my profile what her abilities are before she reunited with Jon. Thanks for all of you who read this story. Feel free to leave a comment.**

 **Chapter 13 A wish in sight**

Ever since the Targaryen dynasty fell Princess Rhaenys Targaryen has lived her life in hiding from those who would harm her. With magecraft it was a simple task to veil her silver white hair and crimson eyes, to find people to aid her without running risk of betrayal, to find information of those who would hurt her loved ones.

She had failed Elia Martell, who mothered her and "protected" her from her Grandfather. She will not fail anyone else that she cared about again.

As much as she loves her new mother and desires to honor her memory, Rhaenys knows that Dorne is not where she could place her loyalties to. After she sailed to Bravos she was fortunate enough to reach her destination before her uncle arrived for his meeting with Rhaella. She was not happy. Her brother did not ask to be born to the wolf girl, if anything that is her fault. After the lengths that he went for the Matou girl, and her, she would never betray her brother. Angra Mainyu will not split them apart.

While that god forsaken priest may have rescued her in another life, she will get vengeance for her mother.

She could not join the other Targaryens or Dorne. Uncles have conspired to get rid of nephews and nieces to usurp the throne for their own line. She would be in Arianne's was and she had no doubt they would want to get rid of her. And Viserys was the golden son of Grandfather, always coddled, spoiled and simpering over his silver superiority. Not that it matters what he thinks about her Dornish mother, she is more blood of the dragon than he could over be. The Holy Grail made sure of that.

While her hypnosis was capable of getting thralls to do her bidding, and there was no shortage of men ready to take advantage of a young girl on her own, the pain of loneliness has steadily been tearing her down. She decided to go back to her old home in Dragonstone and search for a wyvern egg.

Getting a transportation there was simple as always, but the time it took slowly started to weigh her down. Alone with her thoughts, alone with her memories, alone with her wants.

When she finally arrived and tried to brute force a location spell she managed to get the attention of a formidable and unexpected individual. The Rider class servant, Medusa, may have been an ally when they were fighting to save the Matou girl and her brother but she has always kept her master's wellbeing as her top priority.

The only warning of her approach was when her dagger pierced the brain of a would-be violator turned slave. While it was no loss in her opinion it was still a shock having her "defender" murdered so suddenly. Then chains wrapped around her and kept her restrained.

"Why are you here," Rider asked.

"I was looking for eggs to hatch," Rhaenys said. Her heart was pounding and she was certain that she would meet her end there.

Fortunately, the Matou girl understood the concept of gratitude, unlike that sister of her's, and got her servant to back off. At least the efforts that Shirou put into saving her was not completely pointless.

Her meeting with the new "Baratheon" girls was rather disappointing. Rider, the most capable person to locate any remaining eggs, refused to hand over any to a potential rival and an heiress of the fallen dragon dynasty. The Tohsaka girl, the underwhelming and weak magus that she was, agreed with her. While she tried to hide it from her she knew a secret about her magecraft. Given how much overwhelming prana her body produces Rhaenys thought it would be prudent to store excess energy in gems. Her studies into the subject has determined that the gems of this world do not have strong elemental properties that Gemcraft relies on. It if was not for the presence of a Heroic Spirit on their side she would have gladly mocked the Tohsaka weakling for this.

While she may not have a wyvern or a dragon she did gain a valuable gift that will leave her in the Matou girl's debt.

Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern was many things. The Greater Grail, an archmagus, and the foremost creator in homunculi creation in the history of the Einzbern family. And Rhaenys had access to not only her memories but those of her handmaidens.

Sella and Leysritt were her loyal attendents for the war and Leysritt sacrificed herself for the Dress of Heaven at her request.

While she does not have access to cultivation tanks the knowledge of her predecessor and her dragon linage was capable of creating bodies suitable for her prized attendants.

With them she was able to keep her memories, thoughts and desires at bay. But, there was someone she was still missing. And she decided to go to the North and seek out the most likely candidate of her brother's incarnation. Then she got cold feet and decided to remain in White Harbor.

" _It's not like he wants me to head there and set Robert's wrath on his family,"_ Rhaenys thought.

While White Harbor may be cold that was no problem for her or her handmaidens. She remained there for years, with Sella urging her to move on and find a new home suitable for someone of her worth and Leysritt trying to ease her insecurities of meeting her brother again. And it was not like White Harbor was not the worst place to live. There was snow and a walnut tree, just like in her last happy memories before she met Shirou.

Her life was content and time seemed to pass by, but that could not remain forever. She detected the presence of a creature that breathes prana. Sella and she created bounded fields in her new home to remain aware of any potential threats. Then she heard about the Blackfish and his new squire meeting with the Manderlys and Velaryons.

When they arrived, she remained hidden and created familiars to observe them. Her brother looked like the Starks, except for his Valyrian purple eyes. And he met up with someone she should have been expecting but was surprised again to see again. Saber, the Heroic Spirit of the Sword and the one Shirou defeated with Rider's unexpected aid. She seemed to come to her senses after she got stabbed with the dagger her brother projected, and the Fae sheath Avalon, but she did not bother to check if she was sane as long as she followed her orders.

Then her brother sniffed in an undignified fashion and located her familiar. And then Saber turned in its direction as well and spotted it as well.

She dismantled the threads that formed the bird and reinforced the bounded fields that masked her prana. Sella insisted that those be created for her safety. _"Sella is going to tell me she told me so,"_ Rhaenys thought.

What she wanted was in sight but Rhaenys felt worried that her brother would reject her.

" _I just want Sella, Leysritt, onii-chan and I to live happily,"_ Rhaenys thought.

She decided to meet up with her maids, make a plan and meet up with her brother and Saber.

 **I know that you guys are looking forward to the meeting, but I am sure that you guys are also curious what Rhaenys was up to. Gemcraft is based on spirits of the earth coloring gems and I doubt Westeros would have that. So, while Rin Tohsaka may not have as strong gemcraft magecraft as she did before this is not going to stop her. I won't say more and give out spoilers though.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed this story. Even if some of them aren't flattering I still appreciate them. To clear things up Sakura made Rider and Rin leave Illya alone for a while and let her stay in Dragonstone until she can recreate her maids again. Illya also does not pay much attention to Rin and Sakura because Illya dislikes them. Rin got her brother hurt in order to give her the Jewel Sword of Zelretch so she would not be useless during the end of the Grail War. Sakura went on a rampage and it ended up getting her brother killed, at least in Illya's mind. The maids are not getting much characterization yet because they only have about two years of memories and all the information Einzbern Homunculi have. Given that their princess is basically a hikikomori they do not have much life experience and not much individuality, they are blank slates. They also have not brought up what happened in the Holy Grail War since they noticed the subject upsets Illya. Its nice that people think this is a good idea. While I will admit that my writing skills may not be giving the premise the justice it deserves, I am still going to try my best. And if you like the idea then feel free to try to give it your own spin.**

 **Chapter 14 You are my Master**

Saber was eager to reunite with her old summoner from the Grail War, but unfortunately the Manderly's and the Blackfish have business with her family and are occupying Shirou's time. She was led to a comfortable but not overly lavish room. She wondered if this was Northern frugality or an insult to her House.

 _Tap Tap Tap_

She heard something near the window of her room and gathered up her mana in preparation for a fight. When she went to investigate the noise, she saw the same white bird familiar that caught Shirou's attention.

"Saber," a bell like voice called out from the bird.

Saber gestured for the bird to come inside her room.

Saber has never been and still could not be called a magus. Even with that detriment she still was knowledgeable enough to be capable of using her Invisible Air bounded field to prevent anyone from overhearing any conversation held in her room. This skill was very useful whenever she wanted privacy at Driftmark.

"We shall not be overheard, you are the Einzbern master of the Holy Grail War. Why are you here," Saber asked the familiar.

"I am here because I am hiding from my enemies. The Baratheons and Lannisters will both want me dead if they discover my location," the Einzbern girl said.

"Did they not find a replacement for you to kill and give them to the Baratheons as a token of fealty," Saber said.

"I had nothing to do with that. After my mo…, after Princess Elia was murdered and I was about to be attacked I had to escape. When the Lannisters could not find me, they found another girl and mutilated her face." The Einzbern girl said.

"Who are you," Saber asked.

"I am Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, formerly known as Illyasviel von Einzbern. The daughter of the Magus Killer," Illyasviel said.

"Then that must mean you are Irisviel's daughter," Saber said in shock.

Irisviel's sacrifice during the Fourth Holy Grail was still a shame that Saber carried. Not only did she fail to protect her during the war, she also allowed her to die for a corrupted Holy Grail that would have never granted the peace that Irisviel died for. She remembered seeing Irisviel's daughter briefly and that was the only time she saw her cold-blooded Master Kiritsugu content and happy.

" _That would explain how Shirou and Illyasviel are siblings,"_ Saber thought

It seemed obvious in hindsight who the Einzbern girl was, but Saber did not think about the issue as deeply as she should have. This was another shame that she will have to carry on.

"How do you know my mother's name? You should just be a copy from the Throne of Heroes," Illyasviel saked.

"That is a complicated story, milady. I am afraid that we likely do not have much time to go over it," Saber said defensively. While she may be Irisviel's daughter there are things she would rather not discuss with anyone.

"I see." Illyasviel said.

"What do you want? Do you want my help in getting back the Iron Throne," Saber asked. While she would have gladly helped the daughter of Irisviel, she still needed to keep in mind the well-being of her uncle and her House.

"No, I just want to keep my brother safe." Illyasviel said.

Saber was surprised. Throughout her life the throne of Britain tore apart the bonds of many family members. Vortigern turned against her and needed to be brought down. Morgan, the vile woman that she was, let her envy fester and became the bane of Camelot. Mordred transformed from an honorable Knight of the Round Table into an enemy after he allowed his mother fill his head with delusions of being the heir of the throne.

The history of the Iron Throne has showed that family and kin turned on each other in disgusting manners. It was a shock that the girl who attacked them with Berserker would actually want her half-brother safe now. Then again, she did make a wish to be with him again.

" _What happened when I was with Sakura?"_ Saber wondered.

She was certain that Shirou was able to change the heart of his sister, but she was not aware of the specifics. She was too busy being the attack dog and slave of the Holy Grail and Sakura.

"Are you sure you do not want the throne," Saber asked.

While family was a nice ideal, in her experience it did not sway people from coveting a throne.

"I just want to be with my brother and have fun with him and be a family again," Illyasviel said.

Saber inwardly grimaced at the suddenly hysterical note her voice took at the end.

"I am not sure if you noticed but my bounded fields detected the presence of a beast that exhales mana. You undoubtedly know what it must be," Illyasviel said.

" _Impossible,"_ Saber thought.

While she was aware that the Targaryens were reputed to be dragon riders, all the "dragons" are now dead. While she did still have her dragon blood and could likely hatch an egg if she was granted one she did not attempt to do so for several reasons. Dragon eggs were expensive and very rare, Driftmark would not be able to handle such an expense for what would seem like a fool's errand or a useless bauble, especially since the Stag Kingdom does not hold her family in high regard. The horror stories of Summerhall were still a popular subject amoung the people of Driftmark. Most importantly, having a dragon would undoubtedly bring down the wrath of the Baratheons and she doubted that the Velaryons would be able to find enough allies or resources to protect themselves.

"How could Shirou hatch an egg? From what I remember his skills in magecraft were rather questionable. While he did have Archer's arm, I doubt projections would be helpful in hatching the eggs." Saber asked.

Putting aside how he could have possibly found an egg to hatch, she could not help but wonder how he could even hatch one in the first place. The prana required would have been past his meager reserves. She remembered all too clearly how weakened she was with him as his master.

"I also have blood of the dragon, at least now I do," Illyasviel said.

"I see," Saber said.

She recalled how she gave blood to Shirou in an attempt to heal him, and how she gave Illyasviel blood to form a pact with her. With her wish they likely both were bestowed dragon's blood as well. She honestly did not know how to feel about the issue. While it gave her a large amount of power she could not claim ownership of it. Merlin after implanted it into her unnaturally through his magecraft.

"Illyasviel…" Saber said.

"No, I am Rhaenys now. After everything that the Einzbern's did to me I want to leave that behind me." Rhaenys said.

Saber wondered how the Einzbern's interpreted Kiritsugu saving the world from the Grail's taint and felt guilty for not being able to protect Irisviel's daughter from their rage.

"Someone is coming. This conversation is over for now," Rhaenys said.

After the familiar dismantled itself she lifted her bounded field. After all the revelations she just endured she felt tired. She didn't know how she was going to deal with Shirou now.

" _After all my failures I must atone for them. Irisviel, while I may have hated your husband's methods and beliefs, he saved Camelot from the Holy Grail. The least I could do was protect his daughter and his son. I swear I will not fail them again."_ Saber vowed.

 **So now we came across Saber and Rhaenys meeting up. I am sorry if the names of the reincarnated characters get confusing. Saber calls Illyasviel by her original name until she is told that she prefers her new one. Jon will remain Jon, a lot of Shirou was screwed up by Archer's arm so his Jon identity is stronger. Illyasviel wants to leave the past behind and will be referred to as Rhaenys by everyone else. Rin and Sakura, well their opinions on their identity will be addressed in another chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

 **Hello everyone. I am sorry that it took me a while but here is a new chapter. I have plans for a reincarnation story that does involve Aegon Targaryen, son of Elia Martell, but I want to get further along in this story so that the differences that one extra person creates is more apparent. Anyway, I have difficult finals that I need to work on. And during break I'll need to find a place with free WiFi, but I think that I should find more time for this story soon.**

 **Chapter 15 The Birth of the Blues**

House Velaryon has been falling from grace for generations. The rise of the Usurper has only increased the decline of the old and noble House. Monford Velaryon was aware of this fact. His father Lucerys attempted to aid their House by being in Aerys's favor and attempting to form a regency for Prince Viserys. While Prince Rhaegar was loved by the realm, Lucerys was certain that he could convince the Mad King to disinherit his heir and that the Dornishwoman's family would not have been able to fight back against the other kingdoms.

This folly ended with House Velaryon losing power swiftly, rather than gradually.

Monford Velaryon was not about to accept that his House is about to fade into unimportance. Unfortunately, the standing of his House has always been linked to the fickle Targaryens. Maegor the Cruel and his witch mother, Viserys and his Hightower whore, Rhaenyra and her wretched husband, they all have harmed their loyal allies with their greed and ungrateful natures.

While the dragons are not the most reliable of allies, they certainly are more trustworthy than the stags. Robert Baratheon had no love for Valyrians and whenever he was not into his cups or some whore, fortunately a rare occasion, loved to spite the venerable and proud Houses of the Crownlands.

Now, he saw an opportunity to regain their glory.

Prince Rhaegar and Lyanna Stark's romance was not looked at fondly at Driftmark, or by any other loyalist. It gave the Usurper the pretense he needed to steal the Iron Throne. But, Monford could not argue with the merits of having a dragonrider as an heir.

"This is Dreamfyre," the supposed bastard son of the Usurper's dog said.

The Dreamfyre before him was a proud beast with cerulean and silver scales. Its purple eyes were more vibrant than any jewel he ever saw. Monford could not help but feel excitement at the sight of a creature of legends. Then, he noticed a peculiarity he could not explain. The dragon before him had four strong legs and a pair of robust wings. He was not the most diligent student of history, but his ancestors would spit at him if he was not knowledgeable about the prized mounts of Valyria. He was aware the old dragons had only two hind legs and their wings.

"Prince Rhaegar married Lyanna Stark and their son, Jaehaerys Targaryen, stands before you," the fat Lord Manderly said.

" _Jaehaerys, like the Old King."_ Monford thought. Monford did his best to hide the smile that was threatening to break out on his face. _"I see a Jaehaerys in need of a queen, and I have an Alyssane in need of a proper husband."_

* * *

Ser Brynden Tully was a man that was an expert in hiding his emotions, or at least he is better at doing that than the expressive Lord Velaryon was. Brynden can just see the joy growing in his body, despite the pitiful attempts Lord Velaryon made to disguise them.

"Given the speed that this beast is growing Lord Stark decided it would be wise for his nephew and his dragon to head for Essos. Tales of magic of the east are discredited by the Maesters, they would likely scoff at tales of dragons coming from Essos." Wyman Manderly said.

"We also have two dragon eggs left to sell for funds…" Brynden said.

"I am not going to sell the eggs, I could try to hatch them as well. The only reason I did not was that Dreamfyre already required large amounts food and more dragons would have been a greater burden on Winterfell." Jon interrupted.

Brynden gave Jon a stern look. He did not want to show any sign of disunity towards the Velaryons. Although more dragons could prove essential when King Robert inevitably finds out about Dreamfyre.

"Let us show you." Jon said.

Jon showed Lord Velaryon the two unhatched eggs from Winterfell. One was a vibrant crimson and the other was a glittering gold. Brynden could see that Lord Velaryon was interested in the yellow dragon egg. The reason was not hard to surmise. That niece of his was named after the Old King's wife, and their marriage was still thought of fondly by the smallfolk and some of the Riverland nobility. If Jon could hatch more eggs then the dragons would need a rider, and who better than his Velaryon bride.

"What are you going to do about his uncle," Monford asked.

"The son of the firstborn son is ahead of the second son," Brynden said.

Brynden had little doubt that the Mad King's son would defy Jon's ascension on the Iron Throne. One just had to look at a history book to see examples of nephews and nieces dying mysteriously and their uncle inheriting their position. Hells, the last Viserys on the throne was rumored to have poisoned his nephew.

"And the second born has no dragon to ride." Monford said.

Brynden was honestly not sure about that. Given the fact that Jon hatched a dragon and that they were going to Essos to hide its existence, it would not be too farfetched for the other Targaryens to have hatched their own dragons and Westeros was not aware of the fact. _"Jon is right, we cannot sell the dragon eggs if hatching them is possible."_ Brynden thought.

Brynden still planned to give Jon a proper dressing-down for contradicting him in the middle of an important meeting. Even if he did have a point there were times and places for that.

"The Velaryons have always been the proud allies of the Targaryens, and we would be pleased to help the rightful king and the Head of his House get back his throne." Lord Velaryon said.

"Right now we are waiting for my dragon to grow larger." Jon said.

Brynden was aware that the Starks still did not feel comfortable with the thought off usurping the Baratheons. But after Dreamfyre was discovered, and it would have unless it was killed before it grows too large, there would be little choice remaining. Robert despised the dragons and would see his old friend's refusal to commit kinslaying as a betrayal. That was not even accounting for Tywin Lannister's response to a threat to his family's hold on the throne. Even though he understood why they were reluctant, Brynden knew that giving the Velaryons the impression that they were uncertain about their decision would not end well.

"Of course, we certainly would not want to act rashly. Given the fact that you were raised by the Starks and not given tutelage about your Valyrian ancestry I have an offer that I feel would be helpful to your cause." Lord Velaryon said.

Brynden had an idea what he was about to suggest, and he was proven right.

"My niece is a spirited girl and I am certain that she would enjoy seeing the Free Cities. My brother Aurane can accompany her and teach you more about your history." Lord Velaryon said.

While the motive of this offer was obvious, it would be a wise idea to have "guests" of Lord Velaryon to bind them to their cause and prevent any betrayals.

Brynden saw Wyman Manderly narrow his eyes and wondered what he was thinking.

 **Anyway, feel free to leave a comment expressing your opinion. Sorry for keeping you guys waiting so long.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 **Hello, everyone. I am still a bit busy but sharpening my writing skills and letting off some steam writing shouldn't hurt. Since many of you would like longer chapters I have made a resolution to write at least 3,000 words in a chapter from now on, and I won't include my Authors notes in that count.**

 **Chapter 16 Guiding a Young Dragon**

"Jon, come here," Brynden told his young charge.

Brynden was not only put in charge of protecting Jon from people who would harm him in Essos, he was also in charge of educating him and making sure he grows up to be a good man. Not that he had as much experience in that as he liked. While he may have raised his nieces and nephews when their father was hunting for a new way to increase his prestige or their mother was too ill or no longer there, he sadly failed to raise most of them the way he felt they deserved.

Lysa. He understood why she was angry and hated her father. What happened in the past was a horrific event. Even so, her personality was very mercurial and uncontrollable. The last time he saw her she wanted him to leave and demanded that she stop reminding her of the past. Normally he would have waited until she calmed down and tolerated his presence again, but then Cat wanted him to come North and he saw a person who was in need of more help and, most importantly, was willing to receive it. If his presence caused Lysa pain then he was willing to let her live her own life.

Edmure. He loved his nephew, and Hoster loves his only surviving son deeply, but he can admit that he overindulged him when he was growing up. While Brynden could not judge anyone for refusing to marry when they are ordered to his nephew was irresponsible in other ways as well. Sleeping with prostitutes, running from duties at Riverrrun and forcing his father to work harder at his age, and spending carelessly for wine and food for himself and his friends. Brynden could not afford to raise Jon and have him grow up to be like Edmure. As a king Jon would have even less people attempting to regulate his behavior than his nephew does. Brynden saw how Robert deteriorated when he won his war and was surrounded by wealth and luxuries. He would be damned before he let any squire of his grow up to become that.

Cat. While her life was happier than her sister's and she is more dutiful that her brother it still pained Brynden that the loss of her mother forced her to take up duties earlier than she should have. When other girls could act like carefree maidens his niece was performing the duties Minisa should have been doing for the family. He was glad that her life in Winterfell turned out happy for her. The only fault she could complain about was her husband's "infidelity", which is no longer a problem now.

He continued to stare down at Jon. The lad was either surprisingly daring, or he was losing his touch. He used to be able to keep his misbehaving nephew and niece, when he found her hiding place, nervous with just a stern look.

Jon continued to look up at him with no trace of anxiety. Brynden could tell Jon was simply waiting for him to speak.

" _I am getting old,"_ Brynden thought.

"Jon, when we are in a meeting with any else you are not to contradict me. While you may be a Targaryen and an heir to the Iron Throne, I am the person in charge. I am attempting to protect you and I will not tolerate you threaten those efforts."

Brynden saw that Jon was about to speak up.

"No, you will listen to what I have to say and remain quiet." Brynden said.

To his credit Jon stayed silent and continued to look straight at him during his scolding. Lysa, Edmure, Petyr and even Cat, as responsible as she was Cat was never the perfect lady she tried to be, would usually look at the ground.

"I understand that you made a good point when you refused to consider selling your remaining eggs. If you are able to hatch more dragons it would be prudent to have more of them to help protect you and defend yourself. What you did wrong was talking during a meeting and arguing with me in front of Lord Velaryon. If you disagree with me it must remain between you and me." Brynden said.

Jon looked guilty, but his eyes did not tear up. Lysa used to often cry after he or Hoster finished lecture her after one of his misdeeds. Edmure was more rarely reprimanded, to his and Hoster's regret, but he also used to snivel during those rare instances. Brynden could respect his compsure, but he wanted to make sure Jon understood the importance of what he was telling him. He knelt down and looked Jon directly in his eyes.

"Lad, I want you to understand that there are many people who would want to hurt you. I am sure that Lord Stark told you about how the king despises your House and what happened to Princess Elia and her daughter. Even without your Targaryen blood there are many people in Essos that would not hesitate to hurt you. Children that are alone there are capture by slavers and are enslaved for the pleasure of debauched lechers,"

Here he could not resist spitting on the ground in disgust.

"Or are gelded and forced to become an Unsullied soilder." Brynden said.

Jon was looking him in the eye and he still remained unflustered. Brynden grabbed Jon's shoulders. He was getting frustrated and wanted to make sure Jon understood the magnitude of what he was telling him.

"Do you understand me," he growled.

"Yes, ser. I apologize for disagreeing with you in front of someone else. I promise that I won't put us both in danger again." Jon said.

Jon still remained calm. Brynden was surprised, most children would have whimpered by now.

" _So, my squire has a strong backbone afterall."_ Brynden thought.

He sighed. Brynden was not a cruel man and he would take further measures just to scare a boy who only saw nine namedays.

" _I suppose it would be right for a king not to be intimidated and to stand his ground,"_ Brynden thought.

But Brynden did not see a king before him. He only saw a small lad with a growing, but vulnerable dragon. He let go of Jon's shoulders.

"You are not allowed to have dessert tonight," Brynden said.

His last remaining tactic failed to leave an impact on Jon. That used to be effective on Cat after her childish mischief.

" _Dealing with children is harder that I remember,"_ Brynden thought ruefully.

* * *

He and Jon were later led to a room that they will be occupying for their stay at White Harbor. The room was large and comfortable, with two beds and pillows and blankets for the growing dragon.

Jon went to the kitchens to prepare food for Dreamfyre. Brynden recalled how even with the paltry ingredients he had during their travels to White Harbor Jon was able to cook food that Dreamfyre, himself and even the Manderly's thought was exceptional. While he loathed to have Jon out of his sight he was keeping an eye on his dragon and making sure it did not get spotted by anyone else.

Given the tales of their power and the destruction they can lay waste Brynden was surprised at how docile this dragon was. It had the body the size of a large hound with two impressive wings. What confounded people with some knowledge of dragon lore was the four legs and the wings. If the histories were accurate Dreamfyre should only have two legs and its frontal claws connected to its wings. While he could not explain why Dreamfyre was different Brynden was relieved when he saw it take a breath and expel a blue blast that ignited a log. While he still was not completely sure of its flying capabilities he was certain that one day its breath will reach the power of the earlier Targaryen dragons.

Jon walked in with a large amount of food. He brought along a lot of cooked meat, Dreamfyre was a picky eater and Jon tried his best to only fed it its favorites and brought a mouthwatering dinner with fish. When he placed the meat near the gluttonous dragon it swiftly started eating.

Brynden at the meal that Jon brought him. Flavor exploded in his mouth.

"Did you make this," Brynden asked.

"Yes," Jon said.

" _He is not much of a talker,"_ Brynden thought.

During the ride to White Harbor Jon remained quiet. Brynden was concerned at the time but getting to White Harbor took precedence. He did not want to be caught with a dragon in the middle of the road. Keeping Dreamfyre in a box with holes was simpler than he expected. Jon asked his dragon to do so and it obeyed. Brynden was expecting more problems with transporting Dreamfyre.

"I'll bet the meal after you left all of Winterfell wanted you back," Brynden said.

"Robb, Arya, Bran and Rickon all like me because we're family, not because I cook their meals," Jon said angrily.

"Calm down there, I did not mean to insult your family. I noticed you did not mention Sansa." Brynden said.

Jon looked away at the mention of the older Stark girl.

"She never liked me for being an insult to her mother. She is also jealous that I get to leave home and go on an adventure to Essos while she is stuck at Winterfell." Jon said.

Brynden felt guilty for bringing up painful memories for Jon and making this dinner unpleasant for him.

"I am sorry to hear that. I am sure your aunt is trying to change her daughter's attitude towards you. And most children want to leave home and go on an adventure." Brynden said.

Jon remained silent and continued eating.

" _Damn it."_ Brynden thought

While he was not the most tactful of people Bryden was not the type to say hurtful things to children.

Brynden and Jon continued their dinner in silence.

* * *

Brynden woke up suddenly in the middle of the night. When he looked around he saw that the hearth was providing light and that Jon was out of his bed. Brynden quickly got up and felt relief when he saw that Jon was with his dragon. What then shocked him is seeing that Jon's hand was in the dragon's mouth. He kept himself from yelling out and potentially scaring the dragon in biting Jon's hand off. Brynden stepped forward slowly in front of the dragon and then approached it and Jon.

"Jon what are you doing with Dreamfyre," Brynden asked.

"I could not sleep and I decided to play with Dreamfyre until I felt tired again," Jon said.

It took Jon too long in Brynden's mind to take his hand out of the dragon's mouth. Given the sight of those intimidating teeth he could not see why Jon would be reckless enough to put his hand in its mouth.

"Why did you put your hand in a dragon's mouth," Brynden asked Jon.

"He was just licking my palm. There is no need to get alarmed." Jon said.

Brynden kneeled down and when the dragon exhaled he smelled a familiar metallic scent.

"Why does your dragon's breath smell like blood," Brynden asked Jon.

"Because of all the meat it has been eating," Jon said sheepishly.

Brynden did not believe that and grabbed Jon's arms and checked if his dragon's teeth cut open Jon's hands or arms. Brynden did not see any injuries in Jon's arms. He placed his hands over Jon's torso, back and legs to make sure he was in no of bleeding out. Brynden did not see any signs of bleeding. He sighed.

" _This lad is a handful,"_ Brynden thought.

"Do you want me to tell you stories until you fall asleep," Brynden asked Jon.

"I am not that childish anymore," the nine nameday old child huffed.

Brynden grabbed Jon by his hips and carried him to bed.

"I am sorry but you are a child and you need your rest," Brynden said.

"I do not need as much rest as other children," Jon whined.

"Well, I do not know how much sleep you got at Winterfell but now I will make you get a lot of sleep like all growing boys need," Brynden said sternly.

Jon glared at Brynden. No doubt the new rules he was enforcing was not welcomed by the formerly more independent lad. But Brynden was not going to back down. Jon was his responsibility and he was going to make sure he keeps himself healthy. Brynden crossed his arms and looked down at Jon.

"If you are so energetic I think it is time to start your training in arms. Feel fortunate lad. Many boys dream of being taught by the Blackfish," Brynden said.

"Most of them dream of learning from you, but I doubt all of them would be willing to put in all the hard work needed to become a great knight," Jon said.

Brynden was surprised at the logical conclusion Jon made about the boys who wish to be great but fail to put in the effort required. Edmure was like that when he was a lad. He had talent but was too lazy and Brynden did not push him harder when he trained his nephew. He regretted that now. He will not let his squire squander his potential out of slothfulness.

"Oh. Are you one of those boys? I am disappointed in you. Well, even if you are not motivated to become a great knight I pound those skills into you. If you are going to be a man you should not rely on other men to protect you." Brynden said.

Brynden did not like being stern with children. He was not as strict with his nephew when he was growing up. But Jon was an heir of the Targaryens. If dragons could defend their riders from all assassins then Visenya would have had no need to create the Kingsguard. One day Jon will need to be able to defend himself, and Brynden will give him the skills to do just that. No matter if Jon wanted to learn them or not.

Jon glared up at him.

"Of course I will take all the training you give me. I am not a weakling. I will show you," Jon said.

Brynden fought off a smile.

" _So my little squire has spunk,"_ Brynden thought.

"I am not sure if I should expect much from you. With all your skills in cooking and cleaning I fear that my efforts in making you a strong man are for naught." Brynden said.

"Bring it. Whatever training you have in store I will not give up," Jon said with passion.

Jon has so far been a rather stoic boy. This show of emotions are a new experience for Brynden. But he was glad that Jon had spirit and will learn to defend himself.

" _I will give him one last push,"_ Brynden thought.

"Do not get so cocky, boy. If you want me to give you a good thrashing each day until I knock you down and you are too craven to get back up, keep on talking. I might just make you prove you can do more than just talk." Brynden said.

He was not a person who would normally tell a young boy this, but Jon needed to learn how to fight. If he needed firm hand to learn Brynden will not go soft on him.

" _This is for Jon's on good,"_ Brynden thought.

"I meant what I said. Bring it." Jon said with no hesitation.

Brynden fought hard to hide his pride in his squire. Edmure and Petyr would have yielded at the pressure he was giving his squire. At older ages as well. Even if he was proud of Jon's spirit he was going to have to make Jon show his mettle. A depressing amount of people can say the words but fail to actually go through with them.

"Well now. You just blundered into a bad situation, boy. I am going to beat you down until you learn how to fight. If you think I am going to be merciful because you are a boy, well then you must be a stupid boy," Brynden said.

" _He may be a small boy, but the world will not hold back because of that. I must be hard on him so he will grow into a strong man."_ Brynden thought.

He did feel guilty at being so harsh with a kind young lad, but he will feel more guilty if this lad ended up dying when Brynden could have prevented it.

"Stop calling me boy," Jon said.

"You are a boy. I am going to keep calling you a boy because that is what I see. And when I begin your training and see you falter I will laugh when I see a boy fail to live up to his words." Brynden said.

"I am going to keep training until I can beat that smugness out of you," Jon said.

" _So I have a little spitfire on my hands,"_ an amused Brynden thought.

"If you think you have what it takes to beat the Blackfish then you are obviously a boy with his head filled with songs. I will show you how hard learning to fight is, boy." Brynden said.

Jon simply looked back at him. He refused to yield.

Brynden and his squire were obviously too fired up to go back to sleep soon. Brynden went to get his dragonglass clasp.

"Let us make a deal, boy. If you can actually prevail over me I will give you this memento made of dragonglass as proof of your victory. I will not make it easy for you, boy. You will have to put in sweat, blood and tears into your training. And do not expect any leniency during your hidings, boy. I will not grant you any. What do you say, boy? Are you brave enough to take up my challenge? Or are you just a craven little boy who wants his papa to solve all his problems?"

"I will. And trust me I will surpass you one day," Jon said.

"I would love to see the day that a boy like you surpasses me," Brynden said.

" _I really would. I want Jon to become strong. I do not want to fail my squire,"_ Brynden said.

Brynden and Jon looked each other in the eye, and both of them showed no hesitation towards each other. A pledge has been made, just before a Young Dragon sets sails away from home.

 **Hi, everyone. Anyway, it's been difficult for me to find time to keep writing. Finals are annoying, but from now on I will try to keep all the chapters I post 3,000 words in content. So now Brynden is showing his squire some tough love. I feel as if Shirou needs a hardass to get him to learn. Archer got him to improve while being an asshole, and Saber went the beat the shit out of him until he learns route. Since I have a lot of stuff to do and I am writing more than I am used to I don't have much time to check for grammar errors. Sorry if you find any.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

 **Hi, everyone. So now Jon is starting his journey in becoming a knight. I will try to do my best not to make an entire chapter based on his training that goes by fast and it ends with Jon being overpowered, that can get stale. Rhaenys has been learning magecraft for a while under Sella and has huge amounts of magic energy, but you'll see how I prevent her from being the overpowered problem solver. Thanks to everyone who is reading this and I don't own Fate Stay Night or A Song of Ice and Fire.**

 **Chapter 17 A Transcending Beast Roars**

Ever since Princess Rhaenys communicated with Saber she was on guard and was starting to lose her patience. The revelations that she recently had were astounding and left her filled with a strong desire to speak with her old master again. But the Blackfish kept his eye on Shirou most of the time. The only time she saw Shirou on his own is when he was going into the kitchens to prepare a meal. The Manderlys, intelligent family that they are, did not allow people who have not proved their culinary prowess into their kitchens. Saber was also a follower of propriety and knew better than to barge into the kitchen of her host.

It was still early in the morning and since she was an early riser she still had time to compose her thoughts. There will likely be a war soon, and her uncle will be participating. She has heard the tales of Robert Baratheon's hatred for Targaryens and Shirou's dragon is a glaring admission of his heritage. She was not certain how the king will react to the offspring of his archenemy and his love.

" _Poorly, I imagine,"_ Saber thought. While she could not say that she was the most knowledgeable of human nature she was certain that the offspring of his love with another man would not be welcomed. Especially since Shirou was male.

Hopefully the king would not find out about Shirou until preparations have been made. Having the element of surprise is a large help to one's campaigns. What she was not certain was why Shirou was going to Essos. The North was large land with a relatively small population for its size. Surely hiding a dragon could be hidden without leaving.

" _I will have to ask him and see what he says,"_ Saber thought.

There was a theory that she surmised but needed more information to confirm.

She still was not sure how she should respond to her current situation. She has grown to like the peace she experienced in Driftmark, but now it seems like she was going to have to leave that behind. She left behind the humble and simple life she had with Ser Ector for her beloved homeland. She only received failure, condemnation and pain for her efforts.

" _I can't remain a child forever, it seems that it is time for me to grow up,"_ Saber thought.

She was the pillar that once held up Britain, protecting her old master and his sister seems like a modest goal that she can succeed in accomplishing in comparison to that.

Saber got up and started dressing for the day. She chose to wear her white blouse and sea green large skirt. It was similar to the clothing that the Tohsaka master lent her during the Grail War. She was partial to the style. Then she put on a simple pair of brown boots. While many noblewomen scoff at her choice in clothing it was comfortable and her uncle did not see a need to make her change into more feminine dresses.

" _I have dallied for too long, I will talk to Shirou today,"_ Saber thought.

Saber went towards the location where she noticed a gradual release of prana. She walked in to what seemed to be a library belonging to the Manderlys.

"When you said that you were going to be training me this is not what I had in mind," Shirou said.

"Stupid boy. Any idiot can swing a sword. To be a good knight you are going to need a good education as well," the Blackfish said.

Saber agreed with this sentiment. Being a good king required more than being able to use weapons effectively. Mordred did not understand that and felt that his swordsmanship gave him the capacity to be her heir.

" _He was not even skilled with a sword. He just blundered through with brute force,"_ Saber thought.

The Blackfish took notice of her footsteps. She was impressed, her footsteps were easy to miss if one was not paying attention. The Blackfish narrowed his eyes. He looked at her and she looked back at him.

"S- Hello, what is your name," Shirou asked her.

He looked uncomfortable and he was blushing. The Blackfish let out an amused chuckle.

"Does your uncle know where you are," the Blackfish asked her.

"Yes, he and Lord Manderly gave me leave to explore the home of my host." Saber said.

She then curtsied and introduced herself.

"I am Alyssane Velaryon, and it is a pleasure to meet you," Saber said.

"I am Jon Snow, and I am happy to meet you," Shirou said with a smile.

The Blackfish let out another amused huff.

"Jon, I am going to go back to our room to check on something. Can I trust you with this fair lady," the Blackfish asked.

"Of course," Jon said.

The Blackfish left, but not without snickering loud enough for both of them to hear him.

"What an arsehole," Shirou said.

Saber let out an unladylike snort at Shirou's frustration. She then used Invisible Air to create a boundary where their words could not be overheard.

"Shirou, it is a surprise to see you again," Saber said.

"I am Jon now. When I implanted Archer's arm I started losing many memories. I am more Jon Snow than Shirou Emiya now," Shi-Jon said with some sadness.

"I see," Saber said.

Both of them stayed silent for a moment.

"Aren't you worried that someone might overhear us," Jon said with some alarm.

"Do not worry about that. I took care of that. We will not be overheard," Saber said.

Again, they remained silent for a moment. It seemed he was also having difficulties finding what to say to her.

"Do you have my noble phantasms," Saber asked.

She decided to just get to the point. Her holy sword and scabbard were precious treasures of hers and she wanted them back.

"Your what," Jon asked confused.

Saber sighed. She was now remembering how inept and clueless her Master used to be during the Grail War.

"Your sister told me that the Einzeberns discovered Avalon at Cornwall and gave it to Kiritsugu to use as a catalyst to summon me." Saber said.

She took a moment to grind her teeth in rage. Her old master kept her scabbard from her. It was galling she did not discover his deception.

"He passed it on to you and left it inside your body. During the last moments of the Grail War I placed my sword in its scabbard and both of them were internalized in you." Saber finished.

"I used Structural Analysis on myself and grasped that I had golden energy inside me, but I never knew what it was," Jon said.

This did not surprise Saber. They are both Divine Constructs created by the Fae and a knowledgeable magus, which Jon was not, would struggle immensely to comprehend the nature of the artifacts.

"Should I try to give them to you now," Jon asked.

Saber was tempted to say yes until she remembered that they were inside the home of the Manderlys. If they saw her noble phantasms they would ask where they got their hands on such valuable treasures. It frustrated her, but she was going to have to wait a bit longer.

"No, we should wait until we find a more private place," Saber said.

"Wait, you met my sister," Shirou whispered with alarm.

"Yes, and my bounded field will keep what we say private unless someone gets very close," Saber said.

"Do you know where she is," Jon asked.

"No, I do not. I am afraid that I am not free to leave on my own to search for her. I am also not as capable of finding magi as I would like. Usually during my searches, they discover me and either flee, spy or attack me. She could have even left White Harbor by now," Saber said.

Jon sighed sadly.

"I want to see her again," Jon said.

Saber let out a smile. She thought that Princess Rhaenys would be happy to hear that.

"I am certain that she will show herself soon enough. We are with the Manderlys and you have the Blackfish with you. Given that people think she is dead she will need to create a tale to tell the Blackfish." Saber said.

She still was not certain what exactly transpired during the Sack of King's Landing. Princess Rhaenys was able to defend herself but Saber did not how she survived and who was the girl the Lannisters showed Robert Baratheon.

"She told me you had a dragon. She noticed it exhaling mana. That is the famous ability of Dragonkind," Saber said.

"I hatched it from an egg that I found at Winterfell. There is an old storyteller at Winterfell who told me that a dragon named Vermax laid a clutch in the crypts. When I went searching for it I found a chest with three eggs. I poured my blood over my egg and then I reinforced it until it hatched," Jon said with a smile.

"How is it like. Is it able to speak yet? Gaia normally bestows dragons intelligence, but I do not think that is the case in this world," Saber asked.

"I am not sure if it can speak. I've been feeding it food that I reinforced and giving it some of my blood to drink," Jon said.

"What," Saber said with alarm.

Dragons are manifestations of Gaia, similar to the Fey. One rule that Merlin taught her during their training is that creatures born from the world could not ingest blood of humans. That was a major struggle of the True Ancestors. They desired blood but went insane if they drank it.

" _But Shirou is the blood of the dragon now,"_ Saber thought.

She was not sure if it was for the draconic nature of his blood or if this new world's magic system had different rules but it seems like Jon narrowly avoided a disaster with his dragon.

"Creatures like dragons are not supposed to drink blood of humans. It was only luck that made sure that it did not go insane with bloodlust. Why would you even feed it your blood," Saber asked.

"I was trying to give it magical energy." Shirou said quietly.

Saber was glad that he was understanding how close he was to courting disaster.

" _Can he do anything related to magecraft without making it needlessly dangerous,"_ Saber thought.

"Well its fortunate that you having my dragon blood prevented it from getting hurt. If Gaia is not going to instill it with intelligence you might have to try granting some sense," Saber said.

"How would I do that," Jon asked.

"You may try making a familiar bond with it. A simple method is grating it some of your blood and trying to use that to establish a permanent link," Saber said.

The Blackfish was walking back to them.

"We will talk later," Saber said.

"How are you two doing," the Blackfish asked.

"Fine," Saber and Jon both said.

The Blackfish snorted.

"I am going to have to go. I would like to explore White Harbor more but I will need an escort. Would you be kind enough to show me around," Saber asked.

"Of course," Jon said.

"Slow down there lad. I am the one in charge and I make the decisions here. But I suppose one tour of White Harbor would not hurt," the Blackfish said.

Saber could not tell what he found so amusing.

" _I do not see why he looks like he was watching a comedy,"_ Saber thought.

Saber left to go back to her room.

* * *

"I still do not approve of this decision. Your brother and his Servant are not reliable," Sella told Rhaenys.

When she recreated her handmaidens, she used her dragon blood to give them slightly stronger capabilities that they possessed back in their old world. But she also used the genetic information of one of the dragonseeds. This lead to them having purple eyes instead of their old red ones.

" _At least their more Valyrian like appearances can be explained as them hailing from Essos,"_ Rhaenys thought.

"I think you are powerful enough to reconquer your throne without their help and become queen," Leysritt said.

"That won't work. Rhaenyra Targaryen attempted to become the first female monarch and that failed even though the throne passed on to her line," Rhaenys said.

It made her happy to think her maids had such faith in her. But she recalled her time in court too well. The lickspittles of her Grandfather cursed her red eyes and gossiped that her mother planned to use her to change the laws of inheritance. Rhaenyra Targaryen was a monarch she recalled her being compared to often enough. Given that her father was a diligent student of the family history it was not difficult for her to gain access to information on Rhaenyra.

"Sella, how do you feel about the surname Seastar," Rhaenys asked.

From what she recalled Serenei of Lys came from an old but impoverished family. With her magecraft it would not be difficult to create a false identity for both of her maids. The other name she recalled was Rogare.

"It is a nice name. If you want me to take it up I would be happy too. But I still question the wisdom in joining with your brother and Saber," Sella said.

"Saber was the King of Knights, the representation of chivalry. And Shirou went to extremes to save the Matou girl," Rhaenys said.

"I suppose your mind is made up," Sella said.

While she knew that Sella and Leysritt had their reservations Rhaenys also knows that they will join her and plan to protect "when" meeting up with her brother goes "wrong".

"I want to take my daily walk," Rhaenys said.

"We will be joining you. I will be using my spells to keep us hidden from prying eyes," Sella said.

Rhaenys sighed. While her brother is very close by she is not able to meet up with him at this time. He was with Lord Manderly and some knight. If she showed herself now they would likely question her and take her to Lord Stark. She needed to find an opportunity to show herself and not have the knight with her brother wonder about her motivations.

She walked with her maids and reflected on the changes that her reincarnation gave her body. She is now much heavier than her old body and moving around after nineteen years of moving an alarmingly light body is still a peculiar sensation. But, to compensate for that she can channel more mana than she was able to before and it was not as painful as it used to be. Her new magic core was a very welcome addition to her arsenal.

She spent her time at White Harbor learning more magecraft from Sella. While the lack of mystery of this world is a hurdle to overcome she was able to compensate for that by using more prana. She was also experimenting more with elemental magic. Her elements were water and fire. Water is the element of changes and was common enough among alchemists. Her fire element came from Kiritsugu, she recalled the scorn the Einzberns had for the "plebian" element that her father passed down and banished the thought as soon as it came. It was fortunate that the Valyrians are linked to fire magic and the Rhoynar had famous "water wizards".

She was going to have leave soon. While her life at White Harbor was not as happy as she recalled living with her parents before they left for the Grail War, it was still comfortable. It made her anxious to leave her familiar settings behind. She did her best to suppress her fears and put her faith in her brother. Now she merely had to wait and see where Shirou's destination was.

" _Soon we will be together again, onii-chan,"_ Rhaenys thought.

She then walked with her maids to visit her favorite walnut tree.

" _I won't be seeing you again anytime soon,"_ Rhaenys thought.

It was fine. While her memories of playing with her father were among her fondest ones, she was going to make new ones with her brother soon. She just had to wait a bit more.

* * *

Jon was alone in his room with Dreamfyre. He was not certain how to create a bond with a dragon and contemplated all the tales he heard of the magic of this world. He was not only Valyrian but of the First Men as well. While Valyria had been heavily associated with dragons the First Men had strong mental connections to all sorts of creatures. Old known referred to this skills as warging.

As he was contemplating the nature of his magic Dreamfyre looked back at him with friendly eyes. Jon attempted to treat Dreamfyre like a big, friendly dog and that is how it was acting.

Jon then showed his hand to Dreamfyre again and the dragon opened his mouth. He cut his palm opened with Dreamfyre's teeth and left his blood on its tongue. He closed his eyes and focused on Dreamfyre. Slowly, but surely a bond was forming between the two of them.

Jon inwardly reflected that him forming a bond with a familiar far stronger than he was reminiscent of his old bond with Saber. As Avalon finished healing his palm he took out his hand from Drsamfyre's mouth. Jon noticed that a large amount of his prana was now flowing towards Dreamfyre.

" _I ask you. Are you my master,"_ a voice appears in Jon's mind.

Jon gasped. His dragon can now speak! Or at least communicate with humans telepathically.

Jon focused on his link with Dreamfyre and thought, _"No, I am Jon Snow. I would like to be your friend."_

Dreamfyre approached Jon and licked his hand.

Brynden Tully walked in and was surprised to see his usually unemotional squire with a large smile on his face.

 **I hope you like the mechanics I left with Nasuverse magic rules. I know True Ancestors can't drink blood without going insane and I think its because they are born from Gaia. I think Nasuverse dragons are also manifestations of nature and would similarly follow rules like that. But Nasuverse magic is convoluted and I could be wrong, for the sake of this story Dreamfyre can't specifically drink human blood. Dragon blood doesn't count since its not human and it would be more like auto cannibalism. We are going to leave for Essos soon! Thank you to all my readers.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

 **I have some more free time than I usually do and I have to be able to write an essay in less than three hours for a final. So, what's better than writing a new chapter? While I am not sure if Nasuverse dragons can drink blood, Tarasque of Saint Martha apparently ate people according to FGO, let's just say that Jon did something stupid and reckless with his magic and dragon and narrowly avoided disaster. I think that since dragons breathe out a death ray, when people get in its mouth they disintegrate before the dragon swallows blood, but again the rules of magic in Fate are convoluted.**

 **Chapter 18 Setting Sail towards Adventure**

" _I want to name our son after the Conciliator. He and his wife and gave lands to the Night's Watch after they visited the Wall."_

" _He will be an Aegon. He has a song, The Song of Ice and Fire. And there must be three heads of the dragons. The Old King only had one other dragon rider as his companion."_

Jon woke up with a gasp. Normally his dreams were of the hellish fire that nearly murdered him, or of the figures of his past life. This was the first time he recalled dreaming of the past of this world.

" _That was Prince Rhaegar and Lady Lyanna,"_ Jon thought.

Judging by what he heard they were both discussing what they should name their… son.

" _What if they had a girl,"_ Jon wondered.

There was no guarantee that their child would be born a boy and be their heir.

Brynden roused himself and grunted. He looked at Jon and his frustration was easy to see.

"I truly hope that this will not be a habit for you. I told you boys need to get their sleep," Brynden said tiredly.

"I am sorry, I just had a strange dream and it woke me up," Jon said.

"You had a nightmare, do you want to tell me about it," Brynden asked.

"It was not a nightmare. It was simply a strange dream that alarmed me back into consciousness," Jon said defensively.

"That is what I call a nightmare," Brynden said flatly.

"I was just dreaming about my parents," Jon said.

Brynden sighed in exhaustion. He got up and went closer to Jon.

"Would you like to talk about them. Lord Stark told me that you did not talk much about your parents with him. Surely you are curious about them and have many questions to ask," Brynden said.

"I have wondered about them. But I felt it would hurt him if I asked him about them given all that has happened to him," Jon said.

Jon was aware that his grandfather killed his other grandfather and his oldest son. Jon was told that they were beheaded but given what he heard of The Mad King he had doubts that their deaths were that merciful. The Targaryens, the war and especially Rhaegar were not topics that could be openly discussed in Winterfell. Anyone who brought up those topics cavalierly received the anger of their lord. But whispers could not always be completely suppressed and Jon overheard many things during his work at Winterfell.

" _People do not pay attention to those who clean after them and serve them,"_ Jon thought.

Brynden looked uncomfortable. He clearly did not like dealing with such a sensitive subject with someone who looks young.

"What was your "dream" about," Brynden asked.

"It was about my… parents and they were discussing what they should name me. Lady Lyanna wanted to name me after the Conciliator and Prince Rhaegar wanted to name me Aegon," Jon said.

Brynden raised an eyebrow.

"Lord Stark told me that when he found your mother she gave you to him and said that your name was Jaehaerys Targaryen. He did not mention anything about you being named Aegon," Brynden said.

"Do you think that my dream was nonsense then," Jon asked.

"No, I think that it may have happened or it may not have happened. All I am saying is that your mother wanted to name you after the Old King," Brynden said.

"Which name do you think is better," Jon asked.

"Since your mother wanted Jaehaerys I am more partial to it. Your great grandfather was also named Jaehaerys and he was an overall good king, if a tad feeble. And the Old King was able to negotiate a peace between the Blackwoods and Brackens. Who knows what sorcery he used to accomplish that," Brynden said.

Jon smiled at that.

"Besides, since you are a Jaehaerys we both know who your fair damsel is," Brynden said with an irrating smile.

"I have no idea what your talking about," Jon said with a straight face.

"You are certainly a dense enough boy to be able say that honestly," Brynden said with that same annoying smirk.

Jon honestly did not know what he was insinuating.

"Well do you feel better," Brynden asked with some concern.

"I do not feel bad at all," Jon said.

Brynden sighed and went back to his bed.

"Well, if you want someone to talk to during the night you always have me. I am right here and if you want to talk just ask," Brynden said.

"Thank you for your kind offer," Jon said.

Brynden then turned around and tried going back to sleep.

Jon honestly felt more tired than he ever recalled being since he was reborn. Dreamfyre was still asleep attempting to adjust to the influx of information that his bond with Jon was giving him. He simply was not used to the steady rate of mana being constantly transferred out of his body. Fortunately, his body was able to produce the amounts Dreamfyre needed and the golden energy from Avalon was repairing any damages this new task was giving his body.

With this last thought Jon went back to sleep.

* * *

Jon woke up when he heard the door open. It was Brynden walking in with food to break their fast with.

"I am usually the one who makes all our food," Jon said.

"Mayhaps, but since you woke up in the middle of the night and remained asleep for longer that you usually do I felt it was prudent to give you a break and get food from the cooks that the Manderlys have. They might not be you but they should be good, if they serve the Manderlys," Brynden said.

Jon huffed at this.

"I am sorry if I was not able to make food for you early enough…" Jon said.

"It is not about me, I was just concerned you were not well and made things easier for you. I am glad that my advice is finally going through your thick head. I told you that boys like you need sleep to grow and you are just now following my advice," Brynden said.

Jon just sighed in exhaustion.

"Are you alright," Brynden said.

"I am, just a little tired," Jon said.

"From what I have seen you seem to have an obnoxious amount of energy at frustrating times," Brynden said with some concern.

Jon got up and went to get the food that Brynden brought. It was not bad but it was not as good as he was able to create.

" _Fish again,"_ Jon thought.

"Do you have some preference for fish," Jon asked.

"I am from the Riverlands. There is fish everywhere," Brynden said.

Jon nodded his head at that and kept eating his food.

"I know that you promised the Velaryon girl a tour throughout White Harbor but if you are not feeling well…" Brynden said.

"Of course I can still able to do that. It would be nice to see the North one more time before we have to leave," Jon said.

"Especially with a lovely lady," Brynden asked.

"NO, I mean she is a lovely lady, it is just that it would be nice to see my homeland before I leave," Jon said with blushing cheeks.

"If you say so," Brynden said.

* * *

Saber was waiting impatiently for Jon to get to her.

"Sorry if I kept you waiting," Jon said.

Jon ran up to her. Saber mused that if he was older and looked more intimidating then her uncle would not have entrusted him with escorting her throughout the city.

"Shall we start going," Jon asked.

Saber nodded. She watched the white snowy city of the North's main port and saw that it was rather tranquil. She walked with Jon until she noticed a group of trees that could hide them from sight. She leads Jon there and when she was certain that no one was watching them she decided to ask about her noble phantasms.

"Do you have my sword and my scabbard," Saber asked.

"I am not sure. I can grasp my body and I have seen a golden energy healing my body but I am not sure what else is there," Jon said.

Saber focused some prana into her fingertips and touched Jon's chest. She felt her Holy Sword respond to her and slowly it came out of Jon's body.

"You were my sheathe all along," Saber said with wonder.

Excalibur was purified from the black and red abomination that the Grail transformed it into. It sacred gold and azure colors have returned to it. She held her sword and used her Prana Burst skill swung it with all the force she could muster.

" _I need more practice,_ " Saber thought.

The strength and speed she swung her sword was lower than she was capable of in the past. While some of that can be attributed to her slightly younger age, most of the blame can be placed on the inferior blades that she was forced to practice with.

" _Prana Burst is a power skill and most weapons can not handle the force that it could generate,"_ Saber thought.

Even with that knowledge having her sword back in her hands was exhilarating. Now it was time to see Avalon. She recalled the time when Merlin asked what treasure was more valuable and she foolishly answered that Excalibur was the more important one.

" _Morgan certainly knew which noble phantasm was the more vital one,"_ Saber thought with some bitterness.

Jon was watching her but remained silent as she was getting reacquainted with her holy sword.

"Jon, could you focus prana into your fingers and try to pull out Avalon," Saber asked.

Jon nodded and when he did a sacred artifact of the Fey slowly exited his body.

Saber smiled at the sight of her old treasure again. It was a luxurious gold and azure treasure with Fairy Letters showing the mark of its creators. She grabbed Avalon with both arms and she felt it work its magic. It scattered subconscious, violent impulses that the grail or her dragon blood has been granting her. Its energy flowed through her body and the aggressive nature of the dragon blood that flowed through her veins was sedated. After several minutes of Avalon regenerating her body and soothing her soul she decided it was time to put Excalibur back in its proper sheathe. When she did so the sight of it just felt right. While Invisible Air was a useful bounded field and she was grateful Merlin created it for her, Excalibur deserved a much grander scabbard than admittedly impressive gusts of wind.

She looked at Jon and saw that her old master was breathing a bit heavily.

"Jon are you alright," Saber asked with some alarm.

"I am fine, its just that I have been using more prana than I have been used to since I made my pact with Dreamfyre," Jon said.

Saber grabbed her scabbard and her sword and pushed it back into Jon's body. His body internalized Avalon and Excalibur with surprising ease. Jon took a deep breath and looked less strained.

"I feel better," Jon said with some surprise.

"Avalon was created by the Fae and it has wonderous recuperative powers. It also helped my magic core create much more prana than I could hope to create without its help," Saber said.

"That is amazing. Are you sure that I should keep such powerful treasures of yours in my body," Shirou asked.

"It is fine. I know from the Grail War that you are a trustworthy man. And the Einzberns gave it to Kiritsugu. While I may not have liked the man, the fact that he used Avalon to save your life is the most noble act that he could have done with it," Saber said.

"Are you sure, what about your sword. If it is not needed for me to produce prana for Dreamfyre then you should have it," Jon said.

"Shi-Jon, when Excalinbur is a powerful Divine Construct and it deserves to be back with its proper sheathe. I would loathe to have them both be away from each other again. And I know I can trust you to keep them safe," Saber said.

"Thank you," Jon said.

He looked stunned at the show of faith that she was giving him.

"We should head back. People might worry if we are out too long," Saber said.

* * *

Jon nodded and they went back to their lodgings.

"We are going to be leaving soon. Lord Stark and I have agreed that Braavos will be the ideal place to sail towards," Brynden said.

"What about the Velaryons," Jon asked.

"They will first head back towards Driftmark and, if they agree to do so, the lord's niece and half-brother will then head towards Braavos and join us," Brynden said.

Jon let out a smile at that.

" _The lad is besotted with her,"_ Brynden thought.

He was not quite sure what to think of the Velaryon girl. When he first saw her, he thought that she looked like a Lannister. He was not quite sure if his eyes were fooling him but after she and Jon returned from their stroll her blonde hair turned even more vibrant. When he looked at her he saw that she looked stoic and unemotional. This was a surprise given that her uncle was a passionate, aggressive and emotional man. While his desire to have her become queen is something that Brynden is keeping in mind every time he spoke to him, at least that meant that he was going to follow Jon. He wondered if her impressive ability to conceal her emotions were inherited from her mother's side of the family. Tywin Lannister was a humorless man and rarely smiled.

The main reason why he was considering her as potential queen is how cheerful Jon looks when he sees her. Normally Jon is a mild person and rarely looks happy. The only other time he saw him that happy was when he was looking at his dragon. He was aware that King Aerys and Prince Rhaegar were not happy with their wives. Aerys slept with a bunch of mistresses and then later made his Queen's life a living hell, and Rhaegar ran off with another woman. Having a King content with his Queen would likely spare the realm unnecessary strife. There is also the remaining dragon eggs to keep in mind. If those also hatch they will need riders as well. If the Velaryon girl had a dragon then the Seven Kingdoms could not deny that she was a worthy consort to the King.

" _What will he do with his remaining dragon egg,"_ Brynden wondered.

He did not know of anyone else with Valyrian ancestry that could ride a third dragon. He certainly was not going to look for the other Targaryens. He did not know if they were aware of Jon's existence, but he doubted that Viserys would welcome a threat to his ascension. If they had a dragon then another Dance of Dragons would likely occur. There were several instances were the Targaryens proved that a little bit of kinslaying was worth the Iron Throne, even after the death of their dragons.

" _Would they even be bright enough to kill Robert before they start killing each other,"_ Brynden wondered.

Brynden looked at Jon and his dragon and knew which side he was going to take.

" _He is kin of my kin and will be the one to defend both the Starks and the Tullys from Robert's and Viserys's wrath,"_ Brynden thought.

If Robert declared war on the North, the Riverlands will likely turn into a battlefield. Whenever there is a war in Westeros the Riverland always bleeds. His brother will likely join forces with Cat and her husband. Jon Arryn may be Robert's foster father, but he was also Eddard's as well. If it came to war he may not support the North, but he would also not support Robert Baratheon.

If Viserys Targaryen regained the Iron Throne then the Tullys will also be in danger. He did not forget that it was the Targaryens that raised their family to their current level after Aegon burned Harren the Black and his castle.

" _As if that was an honor and not a large burden,"_ Brynden thought.

At the very least he knows that Jon has a dragon and the presence of one will grant him legitimacy and an advantage over the Baratheons and the Lannisters. He knew that Tywin was not going to allow his grandchildren lose the Iron Throne without a fight.

" _How stressing this is. Hopefully it will take more time until things go to shit. Jon should be a child and not worry about these things until he is older,"_ Brynden thought.

"Jon its time for you to go to bed," Brynden said.

Jon closed the book he was reading and started preparing to go to wondered if he actually got through to that thick head of his and imparted the importance of sleep, or if Jon was feeling unwell and was trying to hide it from him. Normally the lad showed more a defiant nature every time he told him to go to bed. Then he cursed himself for referring Jon as defiant, even in his thoughts. The last Targaryen to be called "defiant" was Daena and she gave birth to Daemon Blackfyre.

"Jon, if anything is bothering you let me know. It would not do if your defender was not aware of any ills you are feeling," Brynden said.

"I feel much better. And I am glad that all of us will soon be in Braavos," Jon said with a smile.

" _He really likes that girl,"_ Brynden thought.

He decided to leave that issue for another day.

* * *

"We are going towards Braavos," Rhaenys said.

"Are we going on the same ship as them," Leysritt asked.

"No, we are going to use another ship going in towards the same destination," Rhaenys said.

"If you think your brother is so trustworthy then why are we going on another ship," Sella asked.

"We would not want to run into the Blackfish too early," Rhaenys said.

She stayed in the port until she saw her brother's ship set sail.

"It's time to find a ship to Braavos," Rhaenys said.

"The Velaryons and Saber are still here, do you want to talk with them," Leysritt asked.

"No, they will be joining Shirou and I to Bravos. They are first stopping at Driftmark. That will give us plenty of time to reach Braavos before them," Rhaenys said.

She still was not certain on how she was going to introduce herself to her brother. If he was alone there would not be a need to come up with a cover story.

" _I will leave that alone until I am in Braavos,"_ Rhaenys thought.

Sella sighed in that long-suffering manner she was fond of.

"Now, onwards to adventure and to family," Rhaenys said with a smile.

Her maids joined her as they searched for their own ship to Braavos.

 **We are now out of the North. I already have the way that Rhaenys introduces herself to the Blackfish in mind. Thank you to all my readers. I feel as if my writing is improving and I find this an enjoyable activity. I still have two finals to get through but now I will have more time to write for several weeks.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

 **Hello, everyone. I finished two of my finals and I am glad that the pressures off for a while. I hope you guys like the longer chapters I am writing, it takes more time but its manageable for me.**

 **Chapter 19 A Light Shines Brightly**

Sailing was a new experience for Jon. Ever since he was brought to Winterfell he rarely left anywhere farther than Wintertown. Lord Stark loathed to have any of children anywhere far from home. From what he overheard he was not even planning on sending Robb anywhere as a ward, which is unusual for noble families. He supposed that he might have been taken on hunts to the Wolfswood when he grew older, if he did not leave for Essos. While Sansa may have disliked Winterfell's tranquility, Jon found that a peaceful home suited him in an intrinsic manner he could not explain in words.

His memories and information gained from the person called Shirou Emiya were mostly indecipherable. But while he may not understand why someone was important to him, he knew that they were important and he wanted them in his life. He devoted himself to helping a girl with white hair and red eyes and he was not going to falter from his cause.

" _How are you going to find her,"_ Dreamfyre asked.

" _I am not sure,"_ Jon said.

" _Those are nice sounding sentiments you were thinking, but if you cannot follow through they are meaningless,"_ Dreamfyre said.

While Jon did not like hearing what Dreamfyre had to say, he can admit that deep down Dreamfyre was responding reasonably, if cynically.

" _I won't know unless if I try,"_ Shirou thought.

Dreamfyre remained silent and continued eating its food. While he could now subside on just his prana, after he got a taste of Jon's cooking he refused to give up eating.

" _How will the Blackfish respond when he sees that you stopped feeding me and I keep growing,"_ Dreamfyre said.

Jon could not argue with that logic. Jon decided that he would rather practice his magic than continue talking with his dragon. Jon was not sure where this frustrating personality came from.

"Trace on," Jon said. His structural grasp spell was a simple spell, but Jon found that the more he practiced it the more information he gained from the spell. It also increased the efficiency and power of his reinforcement spell.

" _Most people focus on higher level spells and do not train those two basic techniques so rigorously. If you keep practicing you will find surprising utility for them,"_ Dreamfyre said.

Dreamfyre was a wealth of information. Jon thought that the mystical nature of phantasmal beasts granted the dragon knowledge of magecraft.

Jon can grasp the shape, weight, measurements, "gaps", and recent history of any object he viewed.

" _Why don't you try grasping the Blackfish's sword. You could gain some more insight into swordsmanship from an experienced knight,"_ Dreamfyre said.

Jon had not tried grasping the weapons belonging to any combatant. Jon mostly focused on the energy in his body and various sights in Winterfell and White Harbor.

" _The more you practice grasping the more information you can assimilate and make use of,"_ Dreamfyre said.

Jon looked at Brynden's sword and saw that it had a history of several years and was mostly used for practice instead of combat.

" _If you unsheathe it and touch it with your hands you will get more information. You may even grasp his style of fighting,"_ Dreamfyre said.

Jon went up to Brynden's sword and attempted to unsheathe it. Taking the blade out made a quiet sound, but it was enough to wake up Brynden. He looked annoyed at being woken up in the middle of the night again. Then he looked alarmed when he saw that Jon was attempting to take out his sword.

"Seven hells lad. If you wanted to see my sword you could have just asked. And why is that pillow on the floor," Brynden asked.

Jon was busy being frustrated at Dreamfyre. The dragon gave the mental equivalent of a shrug.

" _How is it my fault that you are too incompetent to be stealthy,"_ Dreamfyre asked.

"Are you still being difficult about sleeping in the same room again," Brynden asked.

Jon used to be a Japanese teenager and he was accustomed to sleeping on the floor. Even his bed at Winterfell was not soft. While his uncle may have replaced it if he was aware how old the bed was, Jon did not see the need to inconvenience him. He graciously offered to let Brynden sleep on the bed and him on the floor. This offer was not accepted.

"Sheesh lad. If you do not want to share a bed then I'll sleep on the floor next time," Brynden said.

"No, its fine. I do not want to inconvenience you. I just don't like having people near me while I sleep," Jon said.

"Well get used to it. Smallfolk do not have the privilege of always getting their own rooms. And we are going to be traveling around and staying in inns. Its either sharing with others inside or being alone outside," Brynden said.

By his tone of voice Jon could tell what decision Brynden would want to make if it came to that.

" _He is more stubborn than, than, than…"_ Jon could not remember who Brynden was more stubborn than.

" _Saber? She insisted on staying with you to protect you during the Grail War,"_ Dreamfyre said.

"Why were you getting out my sword," Brynden asked.

"I was curious about it. It seems like it is several years old but was not used in fighting," Jon said.

Brynden raised an eyebrow. Then he sighed.

"Most boys get interested in fighting and sharp things by your age. I remember when I was your age I, well it does not matter what I did. What matters is that you can not just go grabbing my weapons. What if you got hurt," Brynden asked.

"I am sorry," Jon said. He did not like making things more difficult for other people.

"Lad, stop looking at me like that. Well I can see that you have all your energy again. Might as well start some of your training to help you burn some of it off." Brynden said.

Jon widened his eyes at this. While Brynden promised that he was going to get grueling training he mostly just gave him books to read while they were at White Harbor.

" _He probably wants to gauge your abilities in private. It would not do if a claimant to the throne is a weakling. If you were not good at arms and Lord Manderly and Lord Velaryon saw that, well their support would be more questionable. Also, since Rhaegar Targaryen was associated with books having you be seen reading gives an unconscious reassurance to Velaryon."_ Dreamfyre said.

"Thank you, Ser Brynden. I promise to be a diligent student," Jon said with a smile.

Brynden chuckled at this declaration.

"You might be happy now, but I am not going to go easy on you," Brynden said.

"I can handle it," Jon said.

With Avalon in his body he could repair the damage that exercise does to his body at a swift rate. Its power will allow him to keep training when other people would be forced to rest.

" _Wouldn't he notice if you heal faster than you are supposed to. Well, reinforcement works by enhancing what its target already has. If your body is stronger then reinforcing it will yield even better results,"_ Dreamfyre said.

"Alright lad. Let me get something to eat and then we will get started," Brynden said.

* * *

While there was not as much room to train as Winterfell had they made do. Brynden gave Jon a practice sword made of wood. When Jon grasped it while Brynden was looking away he was frustrated to find that it was recently made.

" _There is no history for you to take advantage of. I guess its for the best. As closely as you can copy whoever previously used a sword an imitation will always suffer a decrease in quality,"_ Dreamfyre said.

"How do you like it," Brynden asked.

"Thank you, it's a nice sword," Jon said without much excitement.

"While I know that most boys think they are ready for metal swords I will be the one to decide when you are ready for that," Brynden said.

What followed was three hour evaluation of what skill he had with the sword and how strong his body was. Jon was exhausted. He refused to reinforcement or actively use magic to enhance his capabilities. He did not think that was a chivalrous act.

" _Tell that to Saber,"_ Dreamfyre said.

Dreamfyre was lounging in their room again. He was hidden from sight, and capable of dealing with anyone who would be unfortunate enough to "wander" into their room. Its inactivity was a concern for Jon.

" _I heard that! I will have you know that I have been practicing my breathing, walking around and waving my wings,"_ Dreamfyre said.

"Well lad. You do have some talent for sword fighting. And your body has plenty of stamina. The main problem that I saw was that you take too long and out too much attention into your movements. Your sword fighting should be done quickly and without much thought. I will correct that," Brynden said.

Jon has breathing deeply and sweating. He was never pushed this hard in Winterfell. Then again, if he showed this much potential in swordsmanship then Lady Catelyn may have gotten upset.

Brynden picked him up and took him back to their room.

"I can walk by myself," Jon said.

He may have been pushed more than he was accustomed to, but Avalon was already easing the strain his muscles were placed under. Brynden snorted.

"I doubt that lad," Brynden said.

Brynden walked with Jon in his arms until he reached the door of their room. He placed Jon in one arm and used the other to open the door. Dreamfyre was waving its wings until it noticed the door opening.

"Get out of these sweaty clothes before you go to sleep," Brynden said.

"The sun is still out," Jon said.

"Boys need their sleep. Especially when they have been training hard," Brynden said unyieldingly.

Jon just sighed and did not argue further. While Avalon can fully heal him quickly, getting more rest and taking steps to avoid unnecessary injury could not hurt. He took off his sweat filled tunic and breeches and put on clean ones. Jon gave the dirty clothes to Brynden.

"Lad, why are you giving these to me? I am not your servant. You are my squire and you serve me," Brynden said.

"Sorry," Jon said.

"Its time for you to go sleep," Brynden said.

Jon was lifted up and placed in bed. The bed felt very comfortable and after the exertion Jon went through he could not help falling asleep.

* * *

Brynden refuses to tell his squire this, but Jon's skill would still be impressive if he was seven and ten. Not only that, but he kept training for three hours. The main limitation the Brynden could see is that Jon's young body could not create the force needed to fight grown men. All the skill in the world would not mean a thing if a blow was too weak to combat armor.

While he made sure to limit the intensity during the training period he expected his squire to start complaining and end the training. Brynden planned to finish ten minutes after Jon said he wanted to stop. But Jon did not complain about the intensity. Brynden found himself growing some more respect for Jon. He had seen lordlings whine about how harsh their training was and felt scorn when they were confused about why their skills were not as sharp as does who grit their teeth and kept training. Still, as impressive as he found Jon's spirit Brynden was not going to push a nine nameday old's body past its limits. The boy will be feeling sore soon enough.

Brynden sighed and felt vaguely ashamed that he had allowed himself to stop training with the spirit he used have.

" _No more of that. If a child has the will to keep working his arse off then I can too,"_ Brynden thought.

He noticed Jon was just about to wake up again. He walked closer to the bed and went to see how the lad was feeling.

"How sore are you," Brynden asked.

"I am not that sore," Jon said trying to get up.

"Whoa there lad, stay in bed. After you worked your arse off you earned it," Brynden said.

Jon still tried to get up. Brynden responded to this grabbing his arm and rubbing it. Jon was surprised but his muscles did not seem to be in too much pain. Brynden was surprised. He intended to show Jon his body needed more rest but either he can handle harsh pain, or he did not feel much pain at all.

"Are your muscles sore," Brynden asked.

"No, they feel pretty good," Jon said.

Brynden was impressed. Jon had a strong body. Maybe there was some truth in Northerners being worth ten Southerners. But he was not willing to push Jon too harshly. He decided he would show the lad his weapons. He remembered how he used to love seeing real weapons when he was a boy.

"You wanted to see my sword," Brynden asked.

"Yeah, but…" Jon said.

"I know what it is like to be your age and want to see cool weapons. You did not get hurt and now you know not to grab my weapons without asking," Brynden said.

Brynden went and grabbed his sword. When he got close to the bed he carefully unsheathed it. He gave Jon a clear view of the blade. He saw Jon squint at it.

"It looks like you had it made several years ago but mostly used it for practice," Jon said.

"You got some good eyes there lad. I had this sword made when I went to the Vale and I did not get to use it as often as I would have liked," Brynden said.

In all honestly, he had been letting his training go on the wayside while he was at the Vale. There were many dull periods where he wasted his time and when Lysa was getting more unstable he started to get complacent when it came to fighting. Now though, he was training a small, spirited lad and was his primary protector. He could not afford to let his skills dull.

"Can I hold it," Jon said.

"I do not see why not," Brynden said.

Brynden gave Jon the hilt. While Jon was admiring his sword Brynden momentarily closed his eyes. He would have never expected he would have taken the "Bastard of Winterfell" to Essos. But, Brynden had to admit that being with the small lad was a nice change from his dull life in the Vale. He opened his eyes and looked at Jon.

"Are you finished looking at it," Brynden said.

"Yes, Ser," Jon said.

"Another thing, Jon. I understand that boys your age love real weapons, I used to be young boy myself, but I will not tolerate you grabbing my weapons when I am asleep or away from you. You may not have gotten hurt that time, but you could get hurt the next time. If you do that again I will punish you. And that is if you do that again, not if I catch you doing that again. Do you understand me," Brynden asked.

Brynden did not enjoy being a stern man with children. He used to be fun uncle and his brother was the stern father. But, Brynden was the man who used to be in charge of the Tully children and there have been some consequences of his leniency that he did not like. He was not Jon's uncle, he was now Jon's protector and foster father.

"Yes, Ser," Jon said looking down.

"Do not worry about it lad. It has been already forgiven, just do not do it again," Brynden said.

"When are we going to train again," Jon asked.

"You still need more rest. How about we play games to occupy your time? I know come-into-my-castle," Brynden said.

Brynden could see that Jon was not thrilled at his suggestion. It was no matter. He was going to get more time to rest. And playing come-into-my-castle will help him teach Jon more about his House without boring him.

* * *

It took a large amount of time to finally reach Braavos. During that time Jon became used to a routine he has grown to like. He trained diligently for one day in swordsmanship then the next two days to focus on his structural grasp and reinforcement. He also got to watch The Blackfish train himself in all his glory. Brynden practiced swordsmanship until he was covered in sweat. Jon used structural grasp on Brynden when was distracted and gained more experience in using the spell to decipher how people fight. Dreamfyre kept growing, but fortunately they still had a box to hide him in.

Brynden went out of his way to find ways to keep Jon entertained during their voyage. Aside from training, he played come-into-my-castle and taught him about allies and enemies of Houses Targaryen and Tully. Jon politely participated in these activities and then Brynden decided to try and see if he was interested in brawling. There are many things said about the North by Southrons, most of them unflattering, and among them is that Northmen are pugnacious people that enjoy a good fight. While people like the Umbers are certainly like that, the description does not really fit him. But he went along with it since he could see that Brynden was trying to find a way to keep him from getting bored. To his surprise he found out that he enjoyed roughhousing with Brynden. It brought back memories of a brown-haired girl with a wooden sword with a small tiger attached to it.

And now they finally reached their destination. They were going to find a spacious enough inn to hide Dreamfyre in. While Brynden carried the box Dreamfyre was contained in Jon carried most of their possessions. Jon smelled a strong aroma of smoke throughout the city. Just after they passed a group of sellswords led by a large bull like man Brynden complained of the smell.

"How much incense are those priests using," Brynden wondered.

They went in search of a place to wait and hopefully meet up with the Velaryons. As strong as the smell of smoke was it overpowered all other scents Jon could normally detect, including the one belonging a white bird.

 **Hi everyone. I am glad that my update speed has increased. You may find some parts of this chapter confusing, but I have reasons for why I put a lot of the stuff I mentioned here. Thanks to all my readers, I am glad that people enjoy my writing.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

 **Hi, everyone. A reviewer questioned if I was nerfing anyone and I am not making any character weaker just to make the story seem more dramatic. Saber and Rhaenys are ridiculously strong, especially since their bodies are growing older and making them less fragile. You guys will see how I approach how their power influences the choices they make.**

 **Chapter 20 The Red Messenger**

Brynden has been in Braavos for a moon and a fortnight. He managed to find a home in a relative isolated part of the city in the southeastern part of Braavos. Waiting for their guests to join them was a dull task. Brynden decided that if they take more than two moons then he will not wait for them anymore.

Brynden had to admit that this boring wait reminded him of his duty as a knight of the Vale. He was a man of action and living his life in a sedentary manner never suited him. It made him even more glad that he took on Jon as a squire. While he did not feel comfortable in letting Jon be outside their temporary home more than what was necessary, he did train him with the sword. He told Jon to complete five hundred repetitions and made him start over if he did not do them flawlessly. Brynden felt pride the first time he saw Jon finish this task, but he refused to tell Jon this and told him he made an error and made him start over. He was not going to have Jon be overly confident in his abilities. And more practice will not kill him.

He was also getting himself back into shape. While this also helped him stave of boredom he also wanted to improve himself and set a good example for Jon. He had to admit having the lad watch him intently with awe in his eyes made him feel good.

But training their bodies could only take up so much of their time. While his body was more enduring than Jon's child one, he needed rest too. Brynden bought a cyvasse set and played with Jon during their evenings.

Their temporary foxhole was a shithole in Brynden's honest opinion. A large room with not much in it. But Jon seemed to be content with their current circumstances. Jon was a hardy boy and he had to admit most noble children he knew of would despise the lack of comfort he and Jon were experiencing. The main problem was that Braavos could get cold and that Brynden did not want to use the limited amount of money he had. Firewood was ridiculously expensive and not worth buying. Brynden lived in the Vale for a long enough time to get more resistance to the cold, and Jon was a Northman. The cold was no problem for them.

They also only had one moderately large room to share with no beds for either of them. Dreamfyre was fine with its blankets and pillows, but he was wondering how Jon was handling it. He slept in worse conditions during wars, but Jon was a young child. Brynden could not help but wonder how he could be so passive about their poor living situation.

" _Did Cat make the lad's life harder out of spite,"_ Brynden thought.

As nice as it was not to have Jon complain about how he deserves better as a member of the royal family, Brynden still found it unnerving at how well Jon was adjusting to his circumstances. He was also shocked at how skilled he was at skills expected from servants. He could cook amazing food, washed both of their clothing and did not whine as he did both. He did not know what to think, he hoped that Jon was not treated harshly at Winterfell, but did not know how to ask him. While Jon did what he asked of him dutifully Brynden decided that he would make Jon's life a bit easier. He was the one who dealt with the contents of their chamber pot and privy.

Right now, he and Jon were in their room and Brynden was wondering what they should do. Cyvasse has been becoming repetitive and he did not how he should start his education in his family history. The Targaryens have many distasteful events in their history.

"Brynden," Jon said.

"Yes lad," Brynden said.

"I am outgrowing my breeches and need new ones," Jon said.

Brynden had noticed that Jon was growing bigger. He decided that he was just going to throw out Jon's smallclothes, breeches and tunics. They all looked like old hand-me-downs and Brynden felt that Jon deserved better than that. And he did not want to go through the effort of finding people who would be interested in buying Jon's old clothes.

"How do you feel about blue and purple fabrics," Brynden asked.

"I think that is for the low born of Braavos. I have seen powerful people wearing less colorful clothing with gray shades," Jon said.

"Oh, and do you want to look like a person of notice and catch people's attention," Brynden asked.

"No, of course not. I am sorry Ser…" Jon said.

"It's fine lad. I will get you new clothing tomorrow," Brynden said with a smile.

Jon got up and moved towards his pillow and blanket and laid down. He doubted the lad would be able to sleep soon, this was one of his rest days with little physical exertion and he has not burned through that insufferable energy that all children get from who knows where.

Brynden decided that he should try getting some more sleep too.

* * *

He usually did not take Jon outside through the streets of Braavos. The times he went outside for food and to check the docks he made sure to do that in the middle of the day, not leave Jon alone for too long and that Jon and Dreamfyre were both awake and would not be killed when they were sleeping and off guard.

Dreamfyre was at their residence and, after all the time he spent with the dragon, Brynden was certain that it would not wander off or bring attention to itself. He noticed that Jon started sniffing towards their right. Then Jon tried to run off away from him with no verbal warning. Brynden managed to grab Jon before he ran too far away.

"What the hells do you think you are doing," Brynden snarled.

"I…" Jon said.

"No, I do not want to hear any excuses you have right now," Brynden said.

Jon gave him quite a scare, if he did not already chuck all the rest of Jon's shabby old clothing he would have led them back to their residence and told him to deal with his too small clothing. Brynden carried Jon in his arms to where the seamstresses of Braavos like to sell their wares. He did not have patience to ask what Jon wanted, and Jon was wise enough to remain silent after the little stunt he pulled. He bought Jon two sets of plain smallclothes, purple and blue tunics, boots and breeches. They were a bit larger than him so they will still last a while before Jon outgrows them.

He placed Jon down and grabbed the clothes he just bought and placed them in a bag. Then he grabbed Jon's hand firmly and led them back to their residence.

Brynden opened the latch of their foxhole and pushed Jon inside. After he put down the bag he was holding he crossed his arms and glared at Jon.

"What were you thinking when you tried to run away from me," Brynden asked quietly.

"I saw someone I thought I knew," Jon said.

"Someone you thought you knew, here in Braavos! What kind of fool do you take me for," Brynden asked loudly.

"She had white hair and red eyes. I think she was watching us," Jon said.

Brynden was sure that Jon was not a liar, but what he was saying was hard to take in. He was aware that the Crown Princess matched that description, but the Lannisters claimed that they killed her and her mother and gave their corpses to Robert. But, he also remembered that while Princess Elia was undoubtedly tortured to death the girl's head was horribly disfigured. It could be possible that the Lannister could not find the princess and killed someone else.

"Jon, there are likely other people with red eyes and silver hair. While Westeros only knew of Bloodraven and Princess Rhaenys I would not doubt that the Lysene and Volantine occasionally had people with red eyes as well," Brynden said gently.

"Am I supposed to leave my sister all alone? Does family even matter to the Tullys," Jon asked.

"YES, of course it does," Brynden shouted.

Brynden was deeply insulted by Jon's question. But he will admit that he thinks Jon's unflinching determination in the face of his fury was commendable.

"You do not even know if that girl was your half-sister. I am not allowing you risk your life recklessly in pursuit of a ghost," Brynden said.

Jon glared harshly at Brynden. Brynden was left wondering if he was being too soft on his squire. If Jon continued acting foolishly and acting belligerent when questioned Brynden might consider taking a firmer hand with his squire. While he liked the lad, when he was not being a brat, he would rather be harsh and deal with a healthy and resentful Jon than be lax and have an admiring and then dead foster son.

"That is the end of this discussion. Your safety is my priority and if you insist in putting yourself in danger you will not like the consequences," Brynden declared.

Jon remained silent and turned to prepare dinner. Brynden watched Jon feed Dreamfyre some salted fish and milk.

" _Jon's safety is my main priority. If he does not like me then so be it,"_ Brynden thought.

* * *

Jon was dreaming again. The powerful flames of hell were not what he was dreaming about tonight, although given the contents of his current dream the flames are almost preferable. He dreamt of a man with black hair. After he rescued Jon then he slowly deteriorated and died. Then a brunette woman stepped up and made sure he did not spend his childhood alone. She brought a purple haired girl into his life and created a comfortable and content domestic life for him. Then that life was torn apart when he saw a blue haired man at night and he tried to murder Jon for no reason. This dream was as torturous as the all-consuming flames that have etched itself into Jon's mind.

Jon woke up with a gasp. Dreaming of the good times from before were a relatively new experience that Jon was not accustomed to.

Brynden groaned and woke up when he heard Jon. Dreamfyre remained asleep. Jon was glad for that, while his dragon did not cause trouble it often had unpleasant and sarcastic things to say.

"What is your problem now Jon," Brynden asked impatiently.

"I was dreaming about happy memories of my home life before everything changed," Jon replied.

Brynden sighed and got up. Jon was surprised when Brynden gave him a hug.

"Lad, it is perfectly natural to miss home and your family. I once went to squire for Lord Darry and I was unhappy to leave my home too. But, your family cares about you and one day you are going to see them again," Brynden said.

While he was not dreaming of Winterfell he was glad for the reminder of the family that is with him that he could return to. Fuj*-nee is no longer with him. And not having her in his life is a tragedy that is hard to grasp.

" _After all she did for me, how dare I forget her and only remember her just now,"_ Jon thought with tears.

"Lad, I know its hard leaving home. Its alright, I am here if you need me," Brynden said.

Brynden got up and carried Jon to where he was sleeping. After Brynden laid down he placed Jon right next to him. Brynden started to rub Jon's head and tried to soothe him back to sleep.

" _People we care about leave us, there is no stopping that Shirou. But they wouldn't want us to live our lives alone and unhappy. While we have to say goodbye to people we do not want to say goodbye to, we should welcome new people into our lives and be happy, for those who are gone."_

He did not recall the exact circumstances where she told him that. But he remembered this piece of wisdom and promised her memory that he will be happy, for her.

* * *

"The night is dark and full of terrors,"

Brynden has already gotten sick of those annoying red priests. He did not know why but apparently their Lord of Light has been granting them more "blessings" and they have been in a frenzy for sennights. It was early in the morning and Jon still has not woken up. He felt bad for the lad, he always had a soft spot when it comes to children. He recalled how Petyr was overwhelmed by Riverrun when he first arrived and Brynden helped him adjust to his new home. He walked back in to his room and Jon started to wake up.

"Good morning lad. Do you want to catch some fresh air with me," Brynden asked.

He left Jon in their room for long periods of time alone and he trusted Jon enough to believe that he stayed inside. Brynden was worried that staying in a room alone for so long might have been wearing Jon down without him noticing.

Jon nodded and he led Jon outside. It was a crisp and chilly day in the city. When he looked up at the sky he saw a red star travelling through the sky. Wasting little time, he grabbed Jon and placed him on his shoulders to give him a better look.

"What do you think Jon? Sights like these are once in a lifetime," Brynden said.

"Old Nan used to say that red stars are the sign that a new dragon has been borne to the world," Jon mused.

"I do not recall a falling star several moons ago," Brynden said.

"Hmm," Jon hummed.

Brynden was concerned that Jon still looked tired and melancholy. He was planning on going to the docks and buying a ship that he had to sail across the canals, but that could wait until another day.

"Jon are you alright," Brynden asked.

"I am good," Jon said with dull eyes.

Brynden took Jon back inside. Brynden led Jon back to their sleeping spot and laid down with him. Jon seemed to appreciate this and went back to sleep. Brynden was not tired and was not going back to sleep again but he stayed with Jon. Brynden knew that Jon said he named his dragon Dreamfyre because Jon often dreamt of fire, but now he was more concerned about what Jon dreamt about. He heard tales about how Daeron the Drunken had "dragon dreams" and how it destroyed his mental wellbeing. At first Brynden scoffed at that claim and thought Daeron was simply making excuses for his shortcomings, but Jon was a good lad and he seemed to have issues sleeping at times. Brynden wanted to help Jon but was not sure what he should do.

Jon was sleeping comfortably next to Brynden. He decided to stay next to him and keep him company as he rests. Since he was still alert he decided to contemplate his plans when the Velaryons join them.

" _We cannot stay here in Braavos. This city was founded by runaway Valyrian slaves and they will not take Dreamfyre's existence lightly. Norvos has the wife of the current Prince of Dorne living there. Volantis had the Old Blood and they would be outraged that an "impure" brown haired boy will become a dragon rider. Lys is infamous for their pursuit of sexual deviancy and the things they do with comely boys makes his skin crawl. Pentos is where the other Targaryens are supposedly being sheltered,"_ Brynden thought.

All of these cities have problems that make them inhospitable for the time being. Mayhaps when Dreamfyre grows large enough to ride there would be less need to be worried. Brynden decided that Lorath would be the best place to hide with Jon. It was the most isolated of the Free Cities and it was not too far away from Braavos.

Brynden watched Dreamfyre awaken and idly watched it walk around their room and flap its wings. Jon started shifting next to him and yawned.

"Are you feeling better," Brynden asked.

"I am," Jon said.

"Do you want to try sparring with our wooden swords," Brynde asked.

"Yes, I would love that," Jon said happily.

Brynden had errands he needed to do as soon as he could, but he was not leaving Jon on his own until he made sure he was alert and capable of defending himself. Jon used his sword skillfully, but still lacked the force to be a credible threat.

"Jon, I am going to the docks. I am leaving my sword and a dagger in case something happens. Stay here and I'll be back soon," Brynden said.

Jon nodded and he walked back to their room. Brynden left his sword behind and only carried a dagger that he could hide on his person. He learned that cocky bravos challenge anyone they see with a sword. While avoiding bravos emboldened muggers, Brynden had yet to encounter a robber that his dagger could not deal with.

* * *

Rhaenys watched as the Blackfish stood by the docks and Saber walked up to him from behind. She snorted at how quickly he turned around. She watched as Saber talked to him until she, that half-uncle of hers and the Blackfish walked together. While she was sure they were walking towards their home she tasked Sella with following them and making sure that they would not leave the city before she could follow through her plan.

Rhaenys has been watching the Blackfish and her brother ever since they first arrived into the city. With a little hypnosis it was not difficult to get a temporary home, food and other necessities.

She nearly panicked when she saw Ser Gerold Hightower and how he looked at her brother and the Blackfish. Before the war that toppled the Targaryen dynasty started she created a powerful mystic code for all the Kingsguard knights. It had a powerful healing spell infused in a silk favor. She knew that it was able to help Selmy and her great uncle survive but she was certain that Hightower was dead. While she did have access to powerful spells, she did not have the experience in actually using many of them. Healing was not needed very often when Berserker shrugged off most attacks and could resurrect himself. After many years of not thinking of them she simply assumed they were dead.

But they were not dead. If it were not for Sella scolding her for behaving rashly Gerold Hightower would have taken a Degen to the face. Sella advised her to keep calm and watch what her brother and Hightower were going to do before taking action. Rhaenys followed her advice and was glad that she had her maids, no her companions, back in her life. Gerold spent much of his time watching the Blackfish and her brother and a little hypnosis was capable of dissuading him from approaching either the Blackfish or Shirou. With the amount of time they were spending in Braavos Hightower was able to contact Oswell Whent and he joined in watching her brother. He was more outspoken and it was more difficult in using hypnosis to keep him away from Shirou. He, luckily for him, was willing to obey Hightower's orders and stay away from Jon. If he did not then Rhaenys would have taken a more permanent solution to his curiosity.

With this revelation she wondered if the other "fallen" members of the Kingsguard were alive. As long as they did not hurt Shirou then she would be content in allowing them to continue living. If they thought about hurting him, well, she gave them a chance to continue living and she can easily take that away.

There was also that wretched cutthroat that went after her brother. When the Blackfish left her brother on his own for whatever inane reason some assassin started to approach the home that Jon was in alone. While she was certain that Shirou, his dragon, or the observing Oswell Whent would have dealt with this fool she sensed an opportunity. She needed a credible story about how she lived and why she wanted to be with Jon instead of Dorne. This despicable man, who was visibly of Dornish descent, would provide her the opportunity she needed.

" _I am sorry, Princess Elia. I honestly am,"_ Rhaenys thought.

Her mother loved her and hypnosis was not strong enough to force Elia to leave her daughter behind to go to safety with the other Targaryens. While she wanted to be with her brother, Rhaenys was not shameless enough to not feel guilty about her plan.

"Sella, Leysritt. It's time," Rhaenys told her handmaidens.

 **Hi everyone. I am sorry about my slow update speed. I do have more time but I decided that I should flesh out how I am going to go through my stories in order to come up with a coherent story and hopefully increase its quality. This story, the girls in Dragonstone, and what is going on in Sunspear with Kirei will all be posted at some point. But, I am waiting until I reach a certain point in this story. I think I will leave this story focused on Rhaenys and Jon. Have "The Guardian of the Dragons Isle" and "The Rising Sun of Dorne" as separate stories but part of this continuity. The story where Aegon Targaryen, the son of Elia, exists would be "Wishing for a Promised Dragonknight". Trust me, Aegon's existence will cause things to go way differently than how things in this story will play out. Look forward to that. But this story is going to take priority for the time being. I am also going to be taking an English course in college soon and hopefully my writing will improve soon enough.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

 **Hello, everyone. I am so sorry for the long hiatus. I am a pre-med undergraduate and I need to raise up my grades. Let's just say that I choke on exams and leave it at that. During the summer I won't have classes and I would likely write more, at least for the sake of keeping myself somewhat academically sharp for the next school year.**

 **Chapter 21 The Good Queen's Charity**

Brynden could not help but be bemused at the name of the vessel that the Velaryons have sent them. Naming the ship after Alysanne Targaryen was a bold declaration, because even a child should be able to see what the implication was.

While he could see that Jon was besotted with the girl, his marriage could not be solely focused on just feelings of love. Brynden had enough self-awareness that him harping on what a proper marriage should be is hypocritical, but Jon was not a second son but a claimant to Iron Throne. The current king is married to a Lannister. While the girl may look like a Lannister, she did not bring an alliance with a ridiculously wealthy House. While many Targaryen marriages have been miserable, Brynden thought that Jon would grow into a good man and he would treat who ever would be his queen decently.

Brynden, Aurane, and his niece arrived in to the shelter that housed both Brynden and Jon.

"You lived here for so long," Aurane asked incredulously.

"Ser Brynden and I are both hardy people," Jon said with a faint, but derisive smile.

Brynden frowned at Jon. He knew that many Northerners have their pride and saw Southrons as soft, but Aurane Waters is their ally. If Jon continued to act patronizingly, well then Brynden will have the "honor" of teaching his squire some humility.

"You must be to be able live in such a cold, uncomfortable place," Aurane said.

Brynden, Jon, and even Lady Alyssane looked stunned at this declaration.

"Do you have any news from Westeros to tell us," Brynden asked.

Aurane and Lady Alyssane both remained quiet for a moment. Aurane glanced at Dreamfyre to seemingly reassure himself. The dragon's growth has fortunately slowed down enough that it was not too large to hide, but fast enough to remove any doubts of its health.

"The Usurper ordered my brother to hand over his heir," Aurane said gravely.

"Is your nephew a hostage," Brynden asked.

If that was so, then their partnership became more complicated. Brynden doubted that the Velaryons are planning on betraying them at this point of time, why would they bring the girl to them if that was the case, but this could cause a divide at a crucial time.

"He is now a "ward" of Lord Eddard Stark. It was fortunate that he sent a letter to Lord Arryn requesting this honor," Aurane said insincerely.

Brynden can easily see that the Velaryons are not pleased by this chain of events. Not only do they have an illegitimate half-brother and the niece of the current Lord, they now have his heir in their grasp as well. While Brynden was glad to have another assurance of the Velaryon's loyalty, he knew that they should not put down their ally too much or face the consequences. Fortunetely, Lady Alyssane knew just what to say to release the tension in the room.

"We should be grateful of the benefits this brings us. Not only does this move my cousin away from Driftmark, which is far too close to King's Landing and Dragonstone to be safe, but he is also growing up with his grace's maternal kin," Lady Alyssane said.

Aurane relaxed and simply nodded at what his niece told him. Brynden was glad that she was clever and was able to see the benefits of this current arrangement.

"We should gather up our things and head to your ship. Lorath will be our destination and where we will be residing for now," Brynden said.

Jon gave Brynden an inconspicuous look of rage. Jon wanted to look for the girl he saw, but Brynden kept his foot down on the issue. He was not going to put themselves at risk to search for a girl who is most likely already dead. He saw the Velaryon girl briefly glance at Jon and saw how she pretended she did not see Jon's anger. At least, Aurane did not see the disagreement Jon had with this decision.

" _This is growing tiresome,"_ Brynden thought.

Jon was a good lad, but Brynden can not keep allowing him to act like this. Given Jon's status too many people would follow his orders without question, even if he was a child and Jon did not think his decisions through. Even if his half-sister was alive, why would she be interested in meeting the son of her father and another woman? Especially with how Princess Elia died. As soon as he found some privacy away from their two new companion's gazes he was going to lay down the law with Jon.

"Let's gather our things and head back to your ship," Brynden said.

* * *

Brynden carried the crate that hid Dreamfyre and the remaining two dragon eggs. He made sure to keep Jon next to him. While Jon may have ran before, Brynden doubted that he would do something rash if his dragon was out in public. As soon as they reached _The Good Queen's Charity_ Brynden helped load up their belongings. Just before they prepared to head out Brynden felt a strange sensation before he heard a loud and feminine scream.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEELP," a young girl screamed.

Jon was about to run in the direction where the scream came from, the stupid lad, but Lady Alyssane came in front of him and gave him a look and Jon reluctantly calmed down. Brynden motioned to Aurane to take Jon and his niece on board while Brynden investigated. Brynden grabbed his sword and headed to his right.

He saw a girl with silver hair wearing a white dress trip and fall to the ground. He also saw a man approaching her and chuckling. When the man started to reach for his breeches Brynden quickly stabbed him with his sword before the bastard noticed him. When he looked at the young girl he was shocked to see that she had red eyes.

"Who are you," Brynden asked harshly.

When he kicked the man's corpse in order to see his face Brynden was surprised to see that he was a Dornishman.

" _She could not possibly be Princess Rhaenys. Why would a Dornishman want to kill her,"_ Brynden wondered.

Brynden could easily imagine the Dornish sending cutthroats after Jon, if they happened to find out about his identity, but not the niece of the Prince of Dorne.

"My lady," a young woman said behind Brynden.

Brynden was surprised that he did not notice their approach. The young woman and her companion both had Valyrian features. Brynden could not tell why exactly, but he knew that there is something going on that was not adding up.

"Can you help us escape? My uncle is trying to kill me to steal my inheritance for his own children," the red eyed girl said.

While Brynden had his misgivings about the situation, he was not cold hearted enough to deny aid to a young damsel in distress.

"Follow me," Brynden said.

He led them back to the Velaryon's ship. He recalled that he thought Viserys would likely want Jon dead in order to ascend the Iron Throne. He also remembered that Prince Doran had a daughter around Viserys's age. That was a thought too despicable for a man like Brynden to understand. He loved his nephew and nieces far too much to want to kill them, no matter what their inheritances would be. But, he also knew of many people who committed kinslaying for less than the Iron Throne.

" _I still have to make sure I know who this girl's identity is. She might not be Princess Rhaenys,"_ Brynden thought doubtfully.

* * *

Ser Gerold Hightower, the White Bull and Lord Commander of the True Kingsguard, has been prowling Braavos for sennights. After his shameful loss against Eddard Stark and abduction of his true king he has been wandering Essos as a sellsword and trying to find allies to cast down the Usurper off the Iron Throne. The Seven spared him for a greater purpose and he knew it was to help the rightful king of Westeros get back his stolen throne. While it galled him to keep King Aegon in the North and have him bear the title of "The Bastard of Winterfell" he decided he first needed to find resources for his liege and then contact him. Then he heard that Ser Brynden Tully was taking his grace to Essos he felt alarmed. He doubted that the kin of Lady Stark would ever treat the "bastard" of her husband with any kindness and Gerold was certain that the Blackfish was going to "lose" the king and say that it was an accident. He managed to track them down in Braavos. Gerold then contacted Oswell Whent and together they kept watch on the Blackfish and the king.

Gerold held off on meeting King Aegon until he managed to find a way to properly introduce himself to the king. The Seven only know what kind of lies the Usurper's dog instilled in his young and impressionable king. Gerold was growing older and was losing some of his strength to the ravages of time, but Oswell was younger and a skilled fighter in his own right. Gerold was certain that the Blackfish would not be able to stop them from reaching the king.

Oswell was currently searching for bravos to challenge to a duel to get them some money. While it was distasteful, there were some things they just needed to do.

They both found a group of bravos and Oswell did what he knew best, be a pest with his jests.

"The Nightingale is a sagging old hag," Oswell yelled at the bravos.

The bravos first were stunned speechless at Oswell's sheer gall. Then they started to loom towards him and Oswell.

" _Oh hells,"_ Gerold thought.

He recalled the last time they fought a group of swordsmen, and Ser Arthur was on their side at that time. Gerold then noticed how fine the clothing the bravos were wearing. He had seen how many weakling children of the wealthy merchants of Braavos acted like thugs, but they were laughingly weaker than a proper knight.

"Ser Gerry, help my uncle is trying to get me killed," a familiar bell like voice yelled.

Gerold and Oswell were both surprised to see the red eyed princess alive.

" _How can she be alive,"_ Gerold thought. Given the fact that he, Oswell, and Arthur were not dead he could easily imagine that the princess also escaped death. _"Wait, her uncle is trying to kill her,"_

He then saw a Dornish cutthroat head towards the Princess and she ran away. Gerold and Oswell attempted to go rescue their princess but were stopped by the bravos.

"Can you fools see that we are going to go save a young girl," Gerold asked furiously.

"The woman we defend is the Nightingale, not some freaky red eyed bitch," some insignificant bastard said.

Gerold felt himself head into a daze and in his rage he attacked the bravos. When he and Oswell managed to slaughter the little pissants, too much time has passed.

"We need to head towards where the princess ran," Gerold said.

Oswell nodded and finally kept his mouth shut. When they ran towards the direction they last saw their princess it took them ten minutes to find the corpse of the cutthroat pursuing her. When they looked at him both he and Oswell were shocked.

"This man is Dornish," Oswell said in shock.

"The princess said her uncle was trying to kill her. At first, I thought she talking about Viserys, but what if it was Prince Doran," Gerold said.

Prince Lewyn and Arthur were both on Prince Viserys's side. While he disagreed with their choice Gerold still had some respect for them as a fellow Kingsguard. Not anymore. Gerold can see now that Prince Doran was attempting to have his own niece killed to make way for his daughter to become queen. Gerold saw red.

" _How could they do this? If they are trying to salvage Elia Martell's honor, then why would they kill her daughter,"_ Gerold thought.

Oswell helped track down the Princess trail and they were too late. She was on a ship with the Blackfish and the King.

" _How could we miss them,"_ Gerold wondered.

Gerold was not aware that the Blackfish was going to leave with the king. And now he has the princess with him too. He had to save them before he hands them over to the Usurper.

* * *

Lord Eddard Stark was reflecting on the changes that occurred in Winterfell. Now that Jon was gone there were many new problems they had to deal with. He knew that his son was a valued member of their family, but even he was shocked at the large gap that Jon's absence left behind. He had to find three new servants to cover the work that Jon did. Even then their food was lacking something and they did not have Jon's work ethic. That was not even getting into the conspiracy that Jon's dragon birth entangled Ned in.

When Robert found out about a "dragonspawn" family was causing problems to a Northern House he was infuriated. He demanded that Lord Velaryon hand over his heir. Ned intervened and sent several letters to Jon Arryn and Robert. He offered to take up the boy as another ward and reminded them that it was a Northern House that the Velaryon's "slighted". Robert was quick to agree and Monterys Velaryon was going to arrive in several moons. While Monterys would normally be a bit older before being sent as a hostage, Robert had no mercy for "dragonspawn". Ned was planning to treat his new ward with all the respect and courtesy he deserved. Hopefully Monterys would provide companionship to his younger children.

Ned sighed. His youngest children were taking Jon's absence poorly. Rickon threw many tantrums because Jon was no longer here. Apparently, Jon had a special ingredient to make his treats taste better and Rickon hated all the other treats the cooks tried to give him. First, Rickon demanded that Jon come back to cook him his favorite treats. Then, Rickon just started to wail that he wanted just Jon back and he would give up eating treats before meals. It broke Ned's heart, but Jon is not able to return anytime soon.

Arya was growing even more aggressive towards anyone who had any criticisms of Jon. Sansa was the one to experience her fury after she said that Jon was lucky to leave their "boring" home. Ned was also angry at the dismissive way his daughter referred to their home, but a young maiden likely sought excitement and Sansa was bedazzled by the stories of Southron courts.

" _I must not send any of my children south,"_ Ned thought.

The Neck and Moat Cailin will stop any of invading army from coming close to his children. As much as it grieved him, Ned was not certain that Robert would not lay a hand on his children, even if they were not "dragonspawn" like their brother.

Ned sighed again and thought about his wife. She headed back to Riverrun, accompanied by trusted guards, and went to get her father's support for Jon. She took with her the dragon egg shards that they found deep in the crypts of Winterfell. Ned was still frustrated that his son seemingly had no sense of danger and explored so far.

" _May the gods keep my son safe,"_ Ned thought.

He did not know his gooduncle that well, but he knew that he was a man of honor and would try to keep his son safe. He also knew that Lord Velaryon's half-brother and niece are going to be accompanying his son on his journey.

" _King Jaehaerys Targaryen and Queen Alyssane Velaryon,"_ Ned thought.

Their names together sound like a bard's song. While he wanted his son to have a marriage for love, the chances of that happening were almost nonexistent. Now that he was no longer his natural son, Jon needed to keep political alliances in mind. But, Ned also knew that marrying for politics in war could create happy marriages. He and Cat were proof of that.

" _But what if she was a dragon rider as well,"_ Ned thought.

He remembered that Brynden sent a message about how Jon refused to sell the remaining two dragon eggs. Jon did not attempt to hatch the other eggs because hiding one dragon was hard enough. While this may be insulting to Jon but Ned was surprised that Jon was wise enough to see that. Given the "passion" his ancestors had for their lost dragons Ned would not have been surprised if Jon hatched the other ones as well.

" _It is too soon to talk about marriage alliances,"_ Ned thought.

Jon needed to be available for a bride that would bring an army to their cause. But, armies were no match for three dragons in the Field of Fire. Ned sighed, he was getting ahead of himself. He needed to wait until Jon's dragon grew larger. And there was no guarantee that the other eggs would hatch for Jon. And even if Jon could hatch both of them and one of the dragons accepted Lady Alyssane as its rider, who would ride the third one? Even then, Balerion the Black Dread was much older than Dreamfyre would likely be when Jon started his campaign. Ned gritted his teeth and decided that he just needed to have faith in Ser Brynden Tully and his son. Ned prayed they would be just fine and that they were having an adventure like he told his children.

" _Lya, would you be proud of Jon if you could see him now? Imagine Jon, the kind young boy that loves his siblings a dragon rider. If he was half as skilled as you and Brandon were at riding not even the Conqueror would have been able to match him,"_ Ned thought.

While thinking of his lost siblings still reminded of the misery that House Stark endured, Ned fortunately still had one sibling left. Ned dreaded the day that Benjen returned from his mission to find that he sent Jon away with Ser Brynden. He knew that sending his "bastard" son with his wife's family sounded like a decision a simpleton would make, but he knew that Benjen would understand.

" _Jon, I pray that you return safely,"_ Ned thought.

With that thought finished Ned decided to force himself to finish his work and distract himself from his worries.

 **Hi, everyone. I am sorry for the wait and I would like to thank everyone who is following/favorited this story and/or followed/favorited me as an author. While I do have to focus hard on my classes to become a competitive medical school applicant, I do not have any intention of abandoning this story.**

 **P.S. I just noticed that I forgot to put in horizontal lines. Sorry.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

 **Hello everyone. I hoped you guys are enjoying the story. Around this point is where one of my spinoffs is going to start. Normally I would have just posted the chapters on here, but with some feedback from a commenter I decided to give them their own story to make things less confusing. Also, for my commentator; how would Rhaella react to her "nephew" being the Prince that was Promised? Well I guess that you'll have to wait until the other Targaryens show up. I am not sure if you meant Rhaella or Viserys, but I have plans for both of them.**

 **Chapter 22 Forming a Fellowship**

Saber stared at the open waters that _The Good Queen's Charity_ was sailing through. She still felt little fondness towards the sea. Her new life as a Velaryon was not enough to wash away the contempt that Saxon invaders instilled in her.

Saber can feel the phantasmal beast beneath the deck. She was sure that her uncle Aurane was aware of the dragon but kept in mind that she needed to seem surprised when they inevitably show her the dragon. The level of prana that it was exhaling was rather impressive, especially given what she knew of dragonlore and the wyverns of this world.

Dragons were creatures of nature and very powerful magically; their blood bestowed her immense power that was the foundation of her strength. They had many shapes and sizes, and the dragons of this world would be classified as wyverns, according to the teachings of Merlin. Wyverns were a subspecies of dragons that had four limbs instead of six; while they had less magical power and physical endurance than their six limbed counterparts, they were also more agile when it came to flight.

Saber was not sure how Jon would be able to control his dragon when it grew larger. Dragons were the manifestations of Gaia and had immense pride. Most would not deign to be mounted by a human. She had to admit that the Valyrians taming any type of dragon in high numbers was an impressive feat. Their power and magical prowess reminded her of the city of Atlantis; whose civilization was struck down by the Counter Force for their mages hubris in their nature interference.

Ser Brynden left a box with holes discharging prana. When he lifted the top and the…, six limbed dragon came into their sights she did not need to falsify her surprise. She felt Princess Rhaenys take a large breath her.

"It's so unfair! When I asked for a dragon egg I was told no. One castle burns to the ground and it's too dangerous for me to have one. And then he gets to have one," Princess Rhaenys whined loudly.

"Well, the Starks had those eggs the gods only know how long. Jaehaerys did not inherit it from Prince Rhaegar," Ser Brynden said in an attempt to console her.

"At least he didn't play favorites," Princess Rhaenys said.

"Know that we all know about Dreamfyre, where do you all stand regarding Robert Baratheon," Ser Brynden asked bluntly.

"He is the usurper and is driving the Seven Kingdoms to ruin," Aurane said.

Saber had been the self-disciplined and patriotic pillar of Britain. She could never respect a king descending into mindless hedonism. She had argued with the Archer class servant of the Fourth Holy Grail and she was still disgusted with his selfishness. He was no better than King Aegon the Unworthy. Both were kings that only cared about their own pleasures and never considered the plight of their subjects.

"He is a heartless monster who happily see us all dead. And I do not have anywhere else to turn to," Princess Rhaenys said.

Aurane, Brynden and Jon all looked uncomfortable at the subtle reference to the Dornish assassin. Given her experiences with her Vortigern, and Morgana, Saber knew all too well that bonds of blood meant little when it came to gaining a throne.

"I will always remain at your side, my princess," the longer haired handmaiden said.

"As will I," the handmaiden with shoulder length hair said.

"Sella, Leysritt," Princess Rhaenys said with her eyes tearing up.

All the men did not know how to handle this emotionally charged situation. Saber felt it was time to make her declaration.

"Robert Baratheon is a wastrel who would stop at nothing to see my family dead, an enemy of the Velaryons will always be my adversary," Saber said.

Ser Brynden nodded at her words. Saber looked him in the eye. Ser Brynden chuckled.

"Now that we have had all the excitement we needed for one day we should set up a work and sleeping schedule," Ser Brynden said.

Given that Aurane and Ser Brynden were the most experienced men on board they were tasked with most of the responsibility regarding their sailing. Saber's grail granted "Riding" skill, while weakened, provided her with an inherent knowledge of sailing that would be very useful on this voyage.

* * *

Brynden watched the seas and kept a diligent eye out for pirates. Now that he was in a ship with a much smaller crew he kept a strict watch against any potential attackers. While Aurane attempted to help him Brynden was not willing to trust him so quickly. Fortunately, the influence of Braavos meant that there were not many slavers roaming this area. Brynden sighed as he heard faint footsteps approach him. When he turned around he was not surprised to see Jon.

"You should be asleep," Brynden told Jon gruffly.

"I have plenty of energy even without much sleep," Jon said.

"Yes, many brats before you have been very energetic with little sleep," Brynden said.

"I wanted to ask your advice, but if you are feeling…" Jon said.

"It's fine Jon. You can always tell me your worries," Brynden said.

Brynden already had a good idea what was on Jon's mind. Jon's half-sister was keeping a persistent distance, which was impressive given the limited size of their cog, and it was gradually becoming more and uncomfortable when they caught sight of each other. Her handmaiden Sella looked at Jon like he was shit to be scrapped of her boots every time she saw the princess look timid when Jon was in her sight.

"It is about my…, sister," Jon said.

"She narrowly an assassination attempt from her kin in Dorne. Why people would want to kill their own family for the Iron Throne, I will never understand," Brynden said.

He was a simple man who valued his family more than anything. No matter how, extravagant, his nephew Edmure is Brynden would never dream of attempting to rob his birthright. This viewpoint, was not a historically popular one. Aside from the Targaryens, there were many other families whose heirs had "accidents" and spares ready to step up and take their place. The reason why they weren't considered suspicious is because the person who befitted the most was often trueborn and carried the family name. As if bastards were the only ones who attempted to steal inheritances.

"Given its ominous history and its influence fighting for the Iron Throne is a lot like fighting for Harrenhal," Jon said.

Brynden could not help but guffaw at that. Jon may even have a point in this comparison. Robert Baratheon's drinking and whoring was devouring dragons at an insane rate. Brynden doubted that if someone else became king that those debts will just go away.

Now that Brynden thought about it, if Robert defaulted on his loans to the Iron Bank they will most likely try to fund another king's campaign and get someone who would pay the Iron Bank their due. While Jon does have a dragon, Viserys was also descended from the dragonlords of Valyria. The Iron Bank may be more willing to back the Valyrian claimant who had the higher chance of succeeding.

"You are an amusing little lad aren't you," Brynden said.

Jon got that look that told Brynden that Jon did not like being patronized but was not able to do anything to stop Brynden.

"I would not give the impression that you are not interested in getting back the Iron Throne to our companions," Brynden said.

"I know. I am not stupid," Jon said. Jon then huffed.

Brynden felt that he should ask Jon if he actually wanted the Iron Throne. But given that the Velaryons are only helping them because they want Jaehaerys Targaryen Third of his name as their king, talking about this on a ship where they could easily be overheard.

"Now that you are going to be a king, you are going to need an education worthy of a Targaryen king. You will need to learn High Valyrian to compensate for your brown hair," Brynden said.

"Compensate for my hair? I have a _dragon_. Who could possibly say that I am not Valyrian enough to be king," Jon asked.

"Viserys Targaryen. The Dornish. And any other dissident in the realm," Brynden said.

"Only an idiot could argue against a dragonrider being Valyrian," Jon said.

"You will find no end of idiots plotting against you if you don't put in the effort to appear worthy of the Iron Throne," Brynden said.

"I will do everything I need to do to be a good king. And I have your help, my sister's help, and Lady Alyssane's help to teach me how to be a king," Jon said.

"I am sure that I have more help to offer you than two young maidens," Brynden said amused.

"You have a very impressive faith in yourself," Jon said.

"Jon, you are too delicate and are centuries away from being able to get away with patronizing the Blackfish," Brynden said.

"I trust you and I know that you are not an unreasonable man. You wouldn't mistreat me for a petty reason," Jon said in a matter of fact tone.

While Jon may have said that as if it was an idle statement, Brynden was honestly touched by Jon's faith in him. But that was not going to stop Brynden from laying down the law.

"Disciplining you when you act like a brat would not be mistreating you. Did you know most idiot boys who grab a man's sword when he was sleeping would have gotten themselves a switching," Brynden asked.

Jon eyes widened and Brynden's keen eyes were able to see that Jon was blushing as if Brynden said something vulgar. It took Brynden several seconds to guess why Jon was blushing.

"I meant my weapon not my…" Brynden said.

"I know. I know what you mean," Jon said, embarrassed.

"I am being serious boy. Most children who pulled the shit you did would have gotten a session with the switch," Brynden said.

"We were on a ship at the time. Where would you have gotten a switch," Jon asked.

"I could have made due with a belt. Hells, even my hand would have gotten the message across," Brynden looked down sternly at Jon.

But Jon was not Lysa or Edmure, who both would have backed down the second Brynden got stern with them. At least Jon had the potential to be a strong-willed king, no matter how frustrating Jon is now.

"Royalty, and especially boy kings, had whipping boys for that kind of thing. You said that our allies can potentially overhear us. Would it not hurt my authority as their king if you…" Jon trailed off.

"Spanked your arse? Maybe I can't do it now, but when we get off this ship and I take you someplace private what's going to stop me from punishing you," Brynden asked.

"Dreamfyre," Jon said. Jon then huffed again.

"I suppose a dragon would stop me if you ordered it to," Brynden conceded to that point, "but I would be disappointed in you if you did that."

Jon looked down. While Jon had more spine than Brynden's nephew and niece, Jon was still susceptible to being shamed by his disappointment.

"Relax lad, I wouldn't do anything that drastic. Unless if you put your life in danger acting like a half-wit," Brynden said.

Jon huffed at that. Brynden did not know what Jon was thinking but Brynden doubted he would be happy to hear it.

"Jon," Brynden growled.

"I would not put my life in danger for a good reason," Jon said.

"Would your views of a "good reason" match my views of a good reason to risk your life," Brynden asked blandly.

"Saving another person would be a great reason," Jon said.

Brynden sighed. That was a heroic thing to say, but the realities of such a declaration where complicated and Brynden doubted that a nine namedays old child would be able to comprehend them.

"Your sister is still getting adjusted to you. Given how she was almost killed by her maternal kin you being her family is not a good enough reason to trust you immediately. And you should be sleeping right now," Brynden said.

Jon nodded and went back under the deck of the ship. That boy was a pain in the arse, but Brynden was not going to simply abandon Jon now. Not only was he tied to Jon's cause by now, it would be wrong to leave a boy of Jon's age without anyone reliable to help him. Brynden's watch should still last for quite a while before Aurane wakes up and Brynden could safely start resting.

* * *

" _It was not that funny. You can stop laughing at me,"_ Jon thought.

" _Your self-preservation instinct is nonexistent. And given how you tried to commit suicide by painfully destroying your nerves for years, the Blackfish can beat your arse all he wants but the pain would not stop you,"_ Dreamfyre said.

" _You have Archer's memories,"_ Jon thought. It was a theory that Jon was formulating for some time, but Jon never brought up the issue before now.

" _Yes,"_ Dreamfyre said.

" _How do I know if you are on my side,"_ Jon thought.

" _I am on Illyasviel's and Saber's side. They just happen to have the misfortune of having an ally as useless as you. I will need to pick up your slack,"_ Dreamfyre said.

Jon was glad to know that his sister had a dragon on her side.

" _Are you going to give the other eggs to Illya and Saber,"_ Dreamfyre asked.

" _Who else could I give a dragon egg to,"_ Jon asked.

" _I just wanted to warn you that if they transform the eggs and create a mental link with the newly hatched dragons I am not sure how they would be like,"_ Dreamfyre said in a serious tone.

" _Didn't Illya control a powerful servant during the Grail War,"_ Jon thought.

" _Illya was able to control a mad Heracles for months. With her even more ridiculously vast prana reserves she might be able to keep a phantasmal beast under her control. But what about Saber? She is a very impressive figure from legends, but she was known as the incarnation of a dragon. Not the tamer of a dragon,"_ Dreamfyre said.

Jon felt worried about this. He did not want to hatch two feral dragons that could hurt anyone else. And he wanted his sister to have a dragon of her own to defend her.

" _You can always count on me to help Illyasviel. I want her to live a long and healthy life and I will never tolerate anything that would dare cut her lifespan short,"_ Dreamfyre declared.

No matter what shape, name, or form he took Shirou Emiya would always protect his sister with all he had.

* * *

They have almost reached their destination and Jon still has not spoken much to Aurane Waters. Given the fact that they were going to be with each other for a long period of time Jon thought that he should try to connect with him.

" _The Good Queen's Charity_ , did anyone believe that you named the ship after Queen Cersei Lannister," Jon asked.

Aurane laughed at this.

"No one with any wits would believe that we would name our ship in honor of that woman. She is not a good queen, and all the Lannisters believe charity is throwing their gold away," Aurane said.

Aurane stopped talking as soon as he brought up the topic of the Lannisters.

" _Saber had a Lannister mother. And her appearance is very stereotypically Lannister,"_ Dreamfyre said.

Jon often had deal with his dragon's snide opinions. Dreamfyre often felt the need to provide commentary and did not feel shy about sharing it with Jon.

" _She is stereotypically Lannister looking, just like Aurane is stereotypically Southron looking,"_ Jon thought.

When Jon and Dreamfyre met Aurane and Saber in Braavos Dreamfyre said that Aurane's long hair, skinny limbs, and soft skin was epitome of what the North believed a Southron man was. Jon could not have helped the small smile that was on his face then.

" _Yes,"_ Dreamfyre said.

Brynden turned around and looked at them.

"Did he say anything amusing again," Brynden asked.

"Yes, he asked if anyone would believe that this ship was named for Cersei Lannister's charity," Aurane said.

"The Lannisters and charity do not belong in the same sentence. They see that as wasting their gold," Brynden said.

"But their happy to give their king gold to wench and drink and that is not wasting their gold," Jon asked.

Brynden and Aurane both snorted at this.

"You are very amusing," Aurane said.

"What is very amusing," a bell like voice asked.

His sister just walked up to them and everyone felt uncomfortable again.

"I think that we have spent too much time avoiding each other," Illya said.

" _It was more like you were avoiding me and your maid glared if I had the gall to approach you,"_ Jon thought.

" _What is wrong with you,"_ Dreamfyre asked appalled.

"I am Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. You can call me Rhae," Rhae said with a small smile.

This was a heartwarming moment where Jon and his sister started to bond again. Of course, someone had to ruin it.

"Rhaenys or Rhae won't cut it while we are in hiding. You need to come up with a name that will hide your ancestry," Brynden said.

"I am Jaehaerys Targaryen, but I go by Jon," Jon said.

"At least he has a name that hides his ancestry," Brynden said.

"How much longer until we reach Lorath," Rhae asked.

"We will get there tomorrow," Brynden said.

Jon was relieved. He hasn't had the chance to cook anything in too long. All they had to eat is blood oranges and salted meat. There was not much variety for him to practice his skills.

 **Hello, everyone. I am back with a new chapter. We will be reaching Lorath soon. I have been busy with school and the long assignments they give. But again I don't plan to abandon this story. I hope you guys like this story and feel free to leave a comment.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

 **Hi, everyone. I hope you're enjoying my story. My next chapter will be about the Baratheon girls of Dragonstone. Since I already said that I would keep that story separate from this one I would recommend keeping an eye out for a new story I post. I hope that you guys will enjoy hearing about how, well I don't want to give out spoilers. I decided to give Brynden Tully a "stepdad" kind of role to Jon. I feel it fits since they have family ties but aren't related by blood.**

 **Chapter 23 The Dragon Widow**

It took Brynden several days to find a place to that would be their home for the foreseeable future. They had to sleep in their vessel during the search, and mostly everyone had long since grown tired of living so closely together. Underneath the deck there was a faint scent of piss and shit that was steadily getting worse. But, since their party was not planning to leave as soon as they can like in Braavos their new residence was not going to be chosen hastily. Finally, they managed to find a private small isle among the ones that surround the island of Lorassyon. An impoverished magister was not happy to sell some of his property but was also in need of a quick payment to get back on his feet. The rest of their group have already settled inside and are deciding their sleeping arrangements.

"How can we afford this," Jon asked.

"We brought a part of what was Lady Lyanna's dowry with us to fund our trip to Braavos. And the Velaryons also brought part of Lady Lily's dowry to further supplement our resources," Brynden said.

Jon nodded at that. The estate that Brynden bought was stony and grey on the outside, but its inside had a bathhouse, a small room with a privy, ten comfortably sized bedrooms, a kitchen and a dining area. The island surrounding their home provided more than enough area to train Jon. There was also a nearby stable for horses, a well filled with water and several hovels around the island. Brynden was planning on using one of the more isolated areas to talk privately with Jon.

"When are we going to talk about Viserys? Do you think he is also involved with the assassination attempt," Jon asked.

"I have my doubts," Brynden mused.

"Really? I have heard that he inherited the Targaryen madness," Jon said.

"From who," Brynden asked.

"Nobles who visited Winterfell," Jon said.

"They are not what I would call reliable people to ask about someone who has been in exile outside of Westeros. You should not believe everything gossipy hens tell you," Brynden scolded.

Brynden refrained from discussing this particular issue earlier due to the fact that they have just met a terrified princess and Brynden did not know how to gracefully start discussing her family's kinslaying plot. Brynden had no wish to alienate a member of Jon's family and create another faction for the Dance of Dragons. While he could have just thrown her and her two handmaidens off the ship and into the sea and dealt with any potential problems quickly, Brynden simply was not cruel enough to be able to murder an innocent young girl and two helpless maidens in an attempt to clear Jon's way to the Iron Throne.

"Let's head inside," Brynden said.

Jon nodded and they both entered their new home.

* * *

Jon and the rest of his group entered the dining area and they were fortunate to have had enough chairs to seat everyone.

"This place is a bit rundown and dreary, but at least everyone has their own room and there is enough for all of us to live well enough. And with how desperate that magister was he couldn't demand as much from us as he could have," Brynden said.

The building had just enough furnishings to house seven people, but it lacked the splendor that would have been expected from a wealthy noble residence. When Jon discreetly _structural grasped_ the building, he perceived that it had a long history and that it hadn't been used extensively for years.

"We also get our own private island," Rhae said cheerfully.

"It is not as private as I would like. In Westeros being the lord of an island would have granted the lord much more freedom than what we have now as new "residents" of Lorath. Assuming that your island was far away from a king who despises your House," Brynden said.

Aurane looked annoyed at the reminder of the power that the Baratheons had over Driftmark. Saber merely remained impassive. Rhae just grumbled incomprehensively.

"Why do I need another name to hide my identity? No one else is here," Rhae asked.

"We will all have to leave this island get more supplies from the mainland. At the very least you will need to get yourself new clothing when you outgrow your old clothing," Brynden said.

"Your current dress is also ruined from your running from the assassin and from not being able to wash it during our voyage," Jon said.

Aside from Rhae everyone else looked stunned and frustrated by Jon's honesty.

"At least I won't have to worry about you hiding anything from me," Rhae said amused.

Brynden just sighed.

"We should discuss how the other Targaryens are going to influence our plans," Aurane said.

"No doubt Viserys would be delighted to see me dead," Rhae said.

Everyone was surprised to hear such a bold declaration.

"Why would you say that," Jon asked.

"The little parrot hated the Dornish and he thought that I was impure. I am more of a dragon than he could ever hope to be. Viserys was always coddled and stunted by Grandfather and if I remember Grandmother she would not be too harsh with one of her babes," Rhae said resentfully.

"Don't we all descend from Queen Mariah Martell and Princess Dyanna Dayne," Jon asked.

"Since when has Viserys ever thought with reason," Rhae asked rhetorically.

"Princess, I can see that you do not have a high opinion of Viserys Targaryen, but did he inherit the madness of his father? Or was he simply a spoiled prince who acted immaturely," Saber asked.

Rhae sighed and was clearly trying to think of what she was going to say next. Aurane, Brynden, Sella and Leysritt were all listening to hear what Rhae thought.

"He is a little pissant and most servants who had to suffer his tantrums did not like him. But, I can not say for sure if he has Grandfather's madness. From what I know Grandfather was a relatively sane person before he gradually lost his wits," Rhae said.

Jon was not the most empathetic person but even he could tell that his sister was holding something back. If Jon could see that then it was no surprise that Brynden could tell as well.

"Don't hold anything back," Brynden said gruffly.

"I was just thinking that Lucerys Velaryon had placing his hopes on the wrong Targaryen," Rhae said.

"What do you mean by that," Brynden asked.

"I overheard that Lucerys was planning on getting Viserys named the heir and for him to be part of the regency," Rhae said.

This was not inspiring trust in their Velaryon allies. What was worse was that Aurane could not offer anything in defense. Fortunately, Saber could.

"There is no need to worry about our allegiance to your cause. Not only is the heir of Driftmark an honored ward of Lord Stark, you have a dragon. Who better to put our hopes into than a dragonrider," Saber said.

"Do you think that the other Targaryens would try to hatch dragon eggs," Jon asked.

"I doubt it," Rhae said.

Brynden raised an eyebrow at that.

"Grandmother was a survivor of the Tragedy of Summerhall. She was very unnerved at the thought of getting obsessed over hatching eggs," Rhae said.

"I do not think that the other Targaryens were a part of the plan of having you murdered," Brynden said bluntly.

"What makes you say that," Rhae asked uneasily.

"Rhaella is the current head of the other branch of House Targaryen. Even if you did not get to be Queen you could have also made another marriage alliance and Rhaella would not have just Daenerys to offer as a token," Brynden said.

Rhae looked indignant at the thought that she would be seen as a token to be bartered.

"Since your assailant was a Dornishman it is more likely that the Martells are behind this assassination attempt. Doran Martell has a daughter that is close enough in age to Viserys. You may be his niece, but most men would rather have their own daughter be the Queen than a niece," Brynden said.

Rhae just looked uncomfortable and remained silent. Brynden looked unpleased at distressing her.

"Do you know how the other Targaryens are doing," Rhae finally asked.

"Well enough given their current circumstances," Aurane said.

"How so," Jon asked.

"The Dowager Queen has remained in Braavos for several years and managed to gain the sympathy of many wealthy women. They bestowed her expensive gifts and aid in order to help her raise her babes. From what we heard they had to leave Braavos because the bankers were losing their patience at their wives throwing their money away for nothing in return. They are rumored to currently be in Pentos," Aurane said.

"It was a wise move to pick Pentos as their next destination," Saber mused.

Everyone looked at Saber wondering what she meant.

"Pentos is a city of wealth and prosperity, like Braavos, but most of their elite do not get their power from a bank. They would be more generous than the frugal bankers of Braavos. Also, by claiming that she was thrown out cruelly by the Braavosi, the magisters of Pentos would be more sympathetic to her and might provide more aid to show off their superior charity than their rivals," Saber said.

Brynden looked impressed at Saber's show of logic.

"Who knows if Queen Rhaella picked Pentos with that in mind. While Lorath may be closer to Braavos it is more isolated. If she went here she would have had more problems getting alliances for her son. We, on the other hand, will have the support of the North, Riverlands and several Houses of the Crownlands. With a grown dragon we would have an easier time negotiating with the other realms than the Dowager Queen," Aurane said.

" _Dragons, the big stick that makes negotiating so much easier,"_ Dreamfyre thought wryly.

"If the Martells are helping the other Targaryens, then that means that they will insist that Viserys marry Princess Arianne. Which also means the Queen won't offer Viserys as a husband to the Tyrell maiden," Brynden said.

"What if they offer Daenerys as a bride to their heir," Jon asked.

"Most families would prefer their daughters being a queen than having a royal bride," Brynden said.

What Brynden was not saying was that they also had a Targaryen princess to offer, and that Jon was not married or not even had a betrothal. Jon shifted uncomfortably and Brynden sighed.

"We can leave the talks of marriages until later. Gods know that I am not the one who should be talking about that," Brynden said.

"I call the bathhouse," Rhae said.

"What," Brynden said.

"We maidens get to bathe first," Rhae said as if talking to a simple child.

"And why do you get to bathe first. We all stink," Brynden asked.

"Where is your chivalry? My maids are the ones who were trained to heat the water for baths. Can anyone else do that," Rhae asked.

Winterfell had natural hot springs and Jon did not have the need to heat his own bath water when he lived there.

"Are you going to insist that you share the baths with young and innocent maidens," Rhae asked Brynden.

"Of course not! I am not Walder Frey," Brynden said.

Aurane grimaced at the mention of the Lord of the Crossing. When everyone turned to look at him Aurane sighed and answered the silent question.

"My niece obviously has Lannister blood. But she comes a royalist House. It also does not help that she was the current lord's niece and not his daughter. That left her with poor marriage prospects. No royalist wanted a Lannister descended wife and the Usurper's dogs do not want a bride from the Velaryons. The wealthiest, but certainly not the best, suitor was Lord Walder Frey of the Crossing. He wanted a new young and beautiful wife," Aurane said.

"That disgusting lecher. I can see that she is pretty but she is too young to be a beauty," Brynden said angrily.

While Jon knew that many noblemen typically married younger wives, wanting to marry a one-and-ten girl was still a disgusted him.

" _There are many people who lust after children. I know of that quite well,"_ Dreamfyre said.

"Thank you for the compliment," Saber said calmly.

"We are going to bathe first. After we are finished then I will have my maids heat up water for you three," Rhae said.

Brynden just nodded at that.

* * *

It took the girls about an hour to fully wash themselves.

"My maids will heat up your water," Rhae said.

She went towards her room.

While Sella still glared at Jon, but Leysritt offered a small smile.

As soon as Sella and Leysritt left the bathhouse Brynden, Jon and Aurane took off their clothes and got in separate baths. Jon heard Brynden groan as soon as his body was submerged in the warm water. When Jon turned to face Brynden, Jon was surprised to see the scars on Brynden's body. Brynden saw Jon's surprise and snorted.

"What, lad? Did you think that I could go through wars without getting some scars," Brynden asked.

"I guess most people get scars when they go off to war," Jon said.

Brynden snorted.

"What if they are cravens? There are many ways to stay away from fighting," Brynden noted cynically.

Jon nodded at that. Jon looked over his skin and was surprised to notice for the first time how smooth and soft it was. Given his exertion at Winterfell his skin should be rougher. Then Jon realized the cause. Avalon, its powerful healing must have prevented Jon's skin from roughening. Jon sighed in frustration.

"Is something the matter," Brynden asked concerned.

"I was looking at myself and I saw that I look sheltered and soft," Jon said.

Jon showed Brynden his hands and Brynden nodded solemnly.

"Yes, lad. We are going to going to have to fix that. Now that we are here I am going to restart your training," Brynden said.

"Do you have any special moves or tricks to teach me," Jon asked.

" _Oh no, you didn't just ask a proud knight to teach you a super move that will beat anyone,"_ Dreamfyre asked with amusement.

Brynden snickered good naturedly. Jon heard Aurane finish bathing and beginning to towel off. Jon thought that with the revelation about Lucerys Velaryon's plotting that Aurane was making himself scarce.

"To be young again," Brynden said amused.

Jon still was not fond of being patronized.

"I do know a special way to get stronger that most noble knights do not try," Brynden said.

Jon felt Dreamfyre's skepticism, but Jon still eagerly leant closer to Brynden to hear what he had to say.

"It is called working hard and training your arse off," Brynden said.

" _I wanted to see him spar the shit out of you,"_ Dreamfyre said with disappointment.

Jon heard Aurane exit the bathhouse and quickly close the door behind him.

Brynden started to scrub his body clean.

"What are you waiting for? Start cleaning yourself before the water gets cold," Brynden said.

"I'm sorry. I am used to the hot springs of Winterfell," Jon said.

"I'm not seeing you cleaning yourself," Brynden said.

Jon was swift to follow Brynden's instructions and scrubbed his body thoroughly and moved his head into the water to wash his air. When Jon finished he saw that Brynden was frowning at him.

"Is there a problem ser," Jon asked.

"No," Brynden said.

They remained silent for a while until Brynden spoke up again.

"How much do you know about riding horses," Brynden asked.

"I was taught to ride and it was always a part of my lessons, but I didn't practice my riding outside of my lessons," Jon said.

Jon was a competent rider for someone who had a nine namedays old body, but he was not particularly gifted. His lack of supplementary practice and only riding when it was required in his lessons left Jon with mediocre skills. Jon had many tasks that took up his time in Winterfell. Swordsmanship, archery, lessons with Maester Luwin, cooking, cleaning and other chores to help the servants left him with less time to practice riding. Most children need a lot time to rest, but Jon's healing allowed him to train for more time without getting tired, injuring his body or stunting his growth. In fact, it even allowed Jon's body to finish healing from damage that physical exertion left swiftly and made him stronger than what he would normally be. Even so, riding a horse would be too blatant and someone would have surely stopped him from "overdoing" his training. That was why Jon focused on reading texts, exercises that could be done in a private room and training his _structural grasp_ and _reinforcement_.

"That is going to change. I don't care about you having a dragon to ride. Even the Old King was known to be a decent horserider," Brynden said.

"Why are you so insistent that I learn to ride a horse well," Jon asked.

"Riding helps the knight's body grow stronger and teaches them coordination. It would also be the best way to try to discover how your going to be able to ride a dragon. No one remembers how the Targaryens taught that skill and a horse would be the best way to practice for now," Brynden said.

" _I suppose the fact that horse riding is good exercise is true. But aside from the physical training they can give you horses are immensely inferior to I as a mount,"_ Dreamfyre said.

Jon mused that with his mental connection to Dreamfyre and the large size that a dragon can grow to become, Jon's body would not need to exert himself as much as if he were riding a horse. While that may be good if Jon was in battle, he would not get tired that easily, Jon should learn to deal with physical strain caused by riding and grow stronger.

"I am going to get you your own horse. I expect that you will be the one who will take care of it," Brynden said.

"Of course, ser," Jon said.

Brynden just frowned at him. Jon did not know what Brynden wanted to hear. Jon decided to change the subject.

"Do you know more about how my… grandmother is doing," Jon asked.

"Not much unfortunately. I have heard rumors that she was as insane as Aerys, but I have my doubts about that. I don't believe everything some gossiper tells me," Brynden said.

Jon blushed at Brynden's rebuke.

"Why would anyone say that she is mad," Jon asked.

"When the Darry who smuggled her out of Dragonstone died the servants serving attempted to steal the fortune that Queen Rhaella had gathered. While some may have gotten away, the queen was able to find sellswords able to track down the thieves and she made an example of them and got back most of what they stole," Brynden said.

'How brutal," Jon said.

"A mother trying to defend her children can be a very brutal and merciless woman. Mothers would do just about anything to save their children," Brynden said.

"Like roaming around Essos and asking for help like a beggar queen," Jon asked.

That was another rumor that he heard from noblemen visiting Winterfell. Brynden did not look happy at hearing this coming from Jon. Brynden got up from his bath and walked towards Jon. When Brynden was next to Jon he crossed his arms and glared down at him.

"What is wrong with you, boy? That "beggar" is your own grandmother," Brynden said coldly.

"That was a moniker I heard in Winterfell," Jon said quietly.

Brynden sighed. He walked away and started to dry himself with a towel.

"Get out of the bath. The water is too cold by now," Brynden said.

While Jon would have pointed out that he was from the North and what they thought of as cold were two different things Jon did not want to anger Brynden anymore. Jon got out and started to dry himself.

"Jon, while the queen maybe our enemy in the years to come, right now she is your grandmother and struggling to keep her two children alive. I will not tolerate you insulting a widow struggling to survive," Brynden said.

"I'm sorry ser," Jon said.

"People do insult her and most likely do not like her asking for money, but it is very callous and dishonorable to demean a woman trying to provide for her children," Brynden said.

Jon remained silent and looked down. Brynden sighed and walked next to Jon.

"Look me in the eyes Jon," Brynden ordered.

Jon did as Brynden asked and felt nervous.

"Family, Duty, Honor. Those are not just my House words but they are also the values I was raised to hold dear. I am disappointed that you would insult your family who was doing her duty and protecting her children. Where is the honor in that," Brynden asked.

"There is no honor in that," Jon said.

Brynden nodded and smiled at Jon.

"You are a good lad. Sometimes you blunder and make mistakes, but I can see you're a good lad," Brynden said warmly.

" _I frankly do not care about Rhaella. I have never met her and I have no emotions tied to her well-being,"_ Dreamfyre said.

Jon just looked down at the cold-hearted response he got from Dreamfyre.

"Jon. You are a good lad. Everyone makes mistakes and say something regrettable," Brynden said.

Jon looked at Brynden and nodded.

"Let's go to our bedrooms and go to sleep. We can all use some rest," Brynden said.

Brynden and Jon covered their manhoods with their towels and headed to their rooms.

* * *

It was in the middle of the night when Jon sighed and rolled over on his bed. While it was comfortable he still had too much energy to fall asleep easily. Dreamfyre, the lazy dragon that he was, was sleeping on the blankets that were laid down on the floor. Jon got off his bed and put on his breeches and a tunic. He walked towards the women's bedchambers but ran into Brynden again. The privy was located close to the women's chambers. No doubt Rhae called that for herself too. Brynden was wearing just his breeches and was still lacing them up. Brynden yawned and smiled when he saw Jon.

"I was just going to knock on my sister's door and…" Jon tried to say before Brynden sighed and grabbed Jon's ear.

Brynden pulled Jon towards his own bedchamber. When Brynden let go of Jon's ear Jon saw that the room was similar to his own.

"What were you thinking? Trying to get into a young girl's room at night is very foolish," Brynden said.

"I had too much energy and I was wondering if my sister was awake to keep me company," Jon said.

"Jon. Walking into a maiden's room at night looks very bad. While not much of problem right now, when you get older you cannot do something so crass," Brynden said.

"She is my sister," Jon said indignantly.

"When has that stopped the Targaryens from rutting," Brynden asked.

Jon blushed at the blunt question. Jon conceded that Brynden had a point. Jon knew now that he shouldn't try to go into any of the women's bedchambers, especially at night.

"If you have to much energy and want company you can always come into my bedchambers. I have plenty of stories that could keep you entertained," Brynden offered.

Jon thought about it for a moment and concluded that asking him about the Blackfyre Rebellion or Robert's Rebellion would only cause tension.

"How about you tell me when you were a squire," Jon asked.

Brynden smiled and motioned that Jon take a seat on the bed.

"You see I was a squire to a former Lord of Darry, may the Seven bless his soul, and…" Brynden went on about his mundane time as a squire.

Jon had to admit the story was not as thrilling as any of Old Nan's stories, but it was helping him get to sleep. When Brynden saw that Jon was getting sleepy Brynden placed Jon on his bed and laid down next Jon.

"Goodnight Jon," Brynden said while his fingers were rubbing Jon's head.

Jon was too drowsy to protest and just nestled closer to his defender. Before Jon went to sleep he barely felt a jealous and yearning gaze.

 **My next chapter will be about Rin, Sakura and Rider. It will be kept in a different story, I already got a comment about having too many different people in one story can be a bit confusing for some people. To answer a previous question Viserys is not the Beggar King in this story. Rhaella is the one doing the begging and doing a better job of it. Viserys, while he was a young boy, referred himself as a king. Even if he was a child people are not going to be that sympathetic to a usurped arrogant and demanding king. But a woman, and yes Rhaella being a woman makes it easier for her to get away with begging for help from wealthy individuals, trying to get help for her children is a lot harder to mock without looking like a miser to polite society. I mean people still mock Rhaella, but that looks worse than mocking Viserys in canon. Rhaella also had the dubious benefit of having Aerys attack her pride and self-esteem for years. First with him nailing other women with little discretion, and then just making her life a living hell. It helped her beg more effectively and it didn't leave Rhaella resentful at having to stoop so low like it did with Viserys.**

 **Thank you all for reading my story. I appreciate it. I am leaving a list of the stories I am planning on writing on my profile. They all take place in two continuities. The world where Aegon, son of Elia, didn't exist and the world where he did exist. Trust me, that is going to cause a lot of differences.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

 **Hi, everyone. I hope all of you are doing well. It's been an unexpectedly tiring few weeks for me. I have also been reading more about dragonlore, fairy folk tales and ASOIAF bloggers in order to make my writing more fleshed out. For example, dragons have been linked to gluttony (Smaug and his hoard). This would make Saber being worried about Jon feeding his dragon blood be because it could have potentially made it bloodthirsty and a powerful monster who would eat people for their blood, which she would have obviously abhorred. Anyway, I am sorry for everyone who is waiting for my writing. I would just like to let you know that your comments and following my writing is inspiring me to do my best to improve my quality.**

 **Chapter 24 The Virtue of a Princess**

There was a word for a person who is kind and warm one moment, and then harsh and cold the next. But Jon could not recall what it was.

" _A Tohsaka?"_ Dreamfyre said.

" _No that wasn't it,"_ Jon replied.

But still, it was annoying how mercurial Brynden could be.

" _Tsk, tsk. Where is your gratitude? He came to the North to visit his niece and ended up becoming a part of a dangerous conspiracy against the Iron Throne. He then had to take a carriage with a child and a dragon who he watched like a person would a rabid animal. He had to deal with the cold and the terrible roads of the North until you two reached White Harbor. Then after you reached Braavos he had to live in a cold home with no beds until Saber and her uncle arrived. After he rescued Illya he then kept watched on the ship to sound the alarm if anyone attacked and had to endure sleep deprivation. If you had tried to play the "Are we there yet?" game at any point I would not have been surprised if he strangled you. With all of that telling you that you should have gotten a spanking for trying to touch his steel sword when you distracted him from his watch and pulling your ear when he saw you about to enter a young maiden's room at night is getting off pretty easy."_ Dreamfyre said.

" _You were the one who suggested I try grabbing it in order to use structural grasp. And I would not try to have sex with my own sister."_ Jon said.

" _A king should listen to advice and gauge how sound that advice is before just immediately obeying what anyone tells them. And it isn't my fault that you have no skill with Presence Concealment."_ Dreamfyre said.

Jon just sighed. There was a time where his dragon wasn't so annoying.

" _If I am going to be the servant and powerhouse of a mage, incompetent as that mage might be, I should at least have the right to speak my mind."_ Dreamfyre said.

" _Would not having the "right" stop you from giving your thoughts."_ Jon asked.

" _No."_ Dreamfyre said.

Jon blinked at that blunt response.

" _I am not completely sure but didn't your great-grandfather and your namesake elope with his sister?"_ Dreamfyre said.

" _According to what I read he did. He also broke his betrothal to Lady Celia Tully."_ Jon replied.

" _And now, because of a marital alliance between Houses Stark and Tully, is now helping you hide. Asking the Tullys for help must seem galling to them, after that past insult. The help they are providing is nothing to scoff at either. Even though I am going to grow into a very powerful mount, right now I still need time to grow."_ Dreamfyre said.

Jon decided to try to stop talking with Dreamfyre for now. It wouldn't be good if Jon was seen getting frustrated for no discernable reason. Jon then decided to check something he glimpsed while he was bathing.

" _Trace on,"_ Jon thought.

The Blackfish is a famous knight. His muscular, if lean, build showed that he kept being physically active when others would just eat and drink and then go to seed. The scars that mar his upper body show that people have attempted to attack him. Or that at least that he handled sharp weapons and may have accidently scratched himself.

" _I doubt all of them would have resulted from training accidents."_ Dreamfyre said.

But when Jon _structurally grasped_ Brynden's body more thoroughly there are a myriad of maladies and imperfections to behold.

" _He is a knight. Not only is he just a knight, he is also an old knight that likely did not shield himself from every danger during war. It isn't too shocking that his body has been worn down by physical strain."_ Dreamfyre said.

" _How would he be an effective Knight of the Bloody Gate if his body is dealing with all those old injuries?"_ Jon asked.

" _His previous occupation was likely more administrative in nature. Especially in times of peace."_ Dreamfyre said.

" _Do you think that the scabbard would be able to repair the damage that his body has,"_ Jon asked.

" _Avalon stopped Saber's aging and healed any injury she sustained before any permanent damage set in. Brynden is also much older than the age Saber was before she pulled Caliburn from the stone. But I doubt that it would do him much harm. You could ask Saber to provide prana for Avalon and insert it in his body."_ Dreamfyre replied.

" _Given the fact that he is providing us a large amount of help it would only be right that I give him something in return."_ Jon said.

" _The Tullys are likely to still more want things in return for helping you. It isn't like you can tell them that you healed Brynden's old wounds with a Noble Phantasm."_ Dreamfyre said.

" _I will keep that in mind."_ Jon said.

Jon looked around Brynden's room and saw that it was of similar size to his own and had a hearth, places to hold torches, a basin and a glass window to look outside. Brynden was still sleeping soundly. Jon did not want to potentially disturb his rest by trying to leave the room. Jon sighed and then heard Brynden grumbling.

" _As I said you have no talent with Presence Concealment."_ Dreamfyre said.

"Good morning," Jon said.

"Good morning. Jon, I meant to speak about this earlier. But I also felt that we should discuss this when I calmed down. It's about you and the young ladies that we are living with." Brynden said.

Jon wondered how many songs bards will write of the gallant Blackfish. Defending the virtue of ladies from the overly amorous nine nameday old.

" _Take this seriously."_ Dreamfyre scolded.

"I will not tolerate anything that may sully their virtue and their good name. You may be very young now but one day childish games may end up getting far too serious." Brynden said.

"You do not want me to do anything that might compromise their virtue." Jon asked.

"Exactly. No kissing games, no gropping, no undressing in front of them, leaving them alone while they are bathing, no going into their rooms at night…" Brynden said.

"What if they take actions that might end up compromising their virtue." Jon asked.

Brynden simply stared at Jon with an appalled look on his face.

" _Was that not a prudent question to ask."_ Jon asked.

Jon suddenly got a mental image of himself being tied up and being straddled by his sister.

"…" Dreamfyre said.

"Did Lord Stark talk to you about men and women having… relations." Brynden asked.

"No. He was likely still trying to figure out a way to explain my status as his bastard and what that implied. Then with Dreamfyre being hatched it simply was not an issue of paramount importance." Jon said.

"Of course he didn't, leaving me to deal with this." Brynden grumbled.

"Jon. Men are usually the ones who pursue women. Women who pursue men are usually looking for other things as well." Brynden said.

" _He means prostitutes."_ Dreamfyre said.

" _Thank you for stating the obvious."_ Jon said.

" _You're welcome."_ Dreamfyre said.

"A noblewoman should not stoop to that level. It could completely ruin her life. Which is why I will never allow you to do anything that could sully the honor of the ladies we have with us." Brynden said.

" _In many places and many different times, a woman was supposed to be chaste. There were consequences if they were caught engaging in behavior that was deemed "inappropriate"."_ Dreamfyre said.

"Promise me that you will not do anything indecent with Lady Alyssane, Lady Sella, Lady Leysritt, and Princess Rhaenys. If you do so then you will not like what happens next." Brynden said.

"I promise on the honor of my House and my honor as a king that I will not attempt to force myself or have indecent relations with any of the women under this household." Jon said.

" _How formal. At least you are starting to sound regal."_ Dreamfyre said.

Brynden smiled warmly at Jon.

"Good lad. It might not seem important to you, but no maiden under my watch will ever have their future destroyed." Brynden said.

"You are very chivalrous." Jon said.

Brynden's smiled faltered at that. Then he smiled widely.

"I am the Blackfish after all. Do not doubt that I won't be attentive and let anything escape my watch. Shall we go break our fast?" Brynden said.

* * *

Rhaenys was eating her salted fish in a melancholic mood. She knew that her maternal uncles would not approve of her support of her half-brother. They even sent a cutthroat to get rid of him. While she had made her decision and had no intentions of turning back, she couldn't help but brood at the position she was placed in.

The most tempting option was to simply find wealthy people and use her magecraft to remain hidden and obtain resources for her and her maids. It worked very well in the past. But after she already made a wish on a tainted grail she did not feel comfortable just leaving her brother on his own.

She could have gone to Dorne and created a plausible story on how she survived. Unfortunately, her red eyes are a distinctive trait and it would only be a matter of time until the king on the throne found out about her.

Her decision to side with her brother was an unpleasant one. She did not know for sure how Elia Martell would have reacted to the son of a second wife, but she doubted it would have with joy.

" _Elia refused to leave me behind even under assault of my magecraft. She died because she was unwilling to leave her child in the custody of a fickle and violent madman. And I am repaying that by framing her brothers for an attempted kinslaying."_ Rhaenys thought.

Rhaenys was well aware that what she was doing was underhanded and morally questionable. But to be able to provide help she had to create a reasonable motive that the Blackfish would accept. She also had to ease any worries that she would attempt to press her claim after she received a dragon egg.

"Did you see the comet in the sky." Saber asked.

Rhaenys was snapped out of her thoughts by Saber's question.

"We did. Do you believe that it is a good omen? There are tales that claim that a comet appears after the birth of a dragon." Jon said.

Rhaenys frowned at this. The last time there was a comet in the sky was when she was still living in Dragonstone. She recalled that around the time that Rhaegar lost his interest in his wife. When the cat that Oberyn Martell gave her ran out of her chambers she decided that "searching for it" was a good excuse to go wandering about. She stumbled upon Rhaegar about to enter his wife's chambers. She remembered that she asked if he was going to take his rights like Grandfather Aerys did. Rhaegar walked away from Elia's bedroom so quickly he forgot to ask why she was still awake. After that he lost interest in his wife and put all his focus on his books. Until that tourney. Rhaenys then noticed that the Blackfish was also frowning.

"Your grace. If you do not mind me asking how did you survive and then find your way to Braavos." Brynden asked.

"I was given into the care of a descendant of the Rogare family. I do not have much early memory of what happened in the Red Keep or Dragonstone. I was told that my mother negotiated a deal with him to help me escape danger in return for paying a ransom for my return once the war was over." Rhaenys said.

"The Rogares take a Targaryen hostage and then try to gouge as much coin as they can. It seems like history does repeat itself." Aurane said.

"After several years passed he then decided to inform the Iron Throne and Dorne and see wo would give him more gold for me." Rhaenys said.

She saw the Blackfish wince at that.

"The Lannisters would have been able to easily provide more gold than what the Martells could have offered." The Blackfish said.

"Especially since the Martells don't want an obstacle to their daughter being queen." Aurane said.

Rhaenys sighed loudly at that. The Blackfish glared at Aurane and she hoped that he would not add more comments.

"He was also about to sell his granddaughters, Sella and Leysritt, into a pillowhouse. His son married a woman he didn't approve of and when they suffered an "accident" he took custody of them. When we found out he was about to sell all of us for as much coin as he could get, well **I** did what we had to do in order to save ourselves. I was not sure if anyone received his message."

"The Martells likely did. If Robert Baratheon had found out his reaction would have been, volatile. I am sure I would have heard of it. When did this occur?" Brynden said.

"A while ago." Rhaenys said.

"Why did you decide to go to Braavos." Brynden asked.

"While my mother may have been a Martell of Sunspear I do not know the current lord of Sunspear well. I felt that running away to a city where I would not be at risk of being made a pillow slave." Rhaenys said.

"That is understandable. How were you able to find work in Braavos?" Brynden asked.

"We managed to take heirlooms that we sold in order to find a home and to feed ourselves. We had enough to last us for several more years." Rhaenys said.

"Did you have any plans for what you would do when you ran out of coin." Brynden asked.

This was the opportunity she had been waiting for. From her time in Braavos she noticed that while the Blackfish occasionally left her brother on his own, and even left the dragon on its own, he never went to a brothel or looked for a whore. His angry response to her brother trying to meet up with her at night supported her conclusion that the Blackfish was a rather chaste person with strict views on sex.

"I was going to become a courtesan!" Rhaenys said with a suddenly raised voice.

Everyone looked stunned by this.

" _Lower your damn voice,"_ Rhaenys thought. She admittedly lacked practice with lying and deceiving people, but she felt that she could still do it successfully.

"You were going to do what." Brynden asked with a horrified tone of voice.

"I was going to become a courtesan. What was left for a beautiful girl with no prospects, no husband, no father, and now no kin helping her? Surely you think that I am not too ugly to succeed as a courtesan?" Rhaenys said.

"You are very pretty." Jon said.

The Blackfish looked disgruntled at that.

"And you do have kin who are going to help you right now and provide monetary support." Jon said.

"Thank you. I won't have to go in the street and find Braavos to put food on my table." Rhaenys said.

There was a difference between a whore that walked the streets and the courtesans of Braavos. But, she doubted that a person who didn't meet up with a courtesan and had strict sexual mores would be able to distinguish the difference.

"We will not allow that to happen. You mentioned that you still had some coin left from the Rogares." Brynden said.

"We left the bulk of our coin in our home. I doubt that it is still there. Given all the time that has passed." Rhaenys said.

Everyone looked uneasy. Unfortunately, there was still one very important matter she had to bring up.

"I am also so sorry but I forgot something very important that I should have mentioned earlier." Rhaenys said.

"You do not need to feel any guilt." Brynden said.

"I think that Ser Gerold Hightower and Ser Oswell Whent may still be alive." Rhaenys said.

Everyone looked shocked at that.

"That is something you could have mentioned while we were sailing." Jon said honestly.

The Blackfish, Saber, her maids and even Aurane glared at her brother.

"I could not tell for sure. You see I sometimes need to drink some wine to deal with everything and I wasn't sure it was them. Ser Whent insulted a courtesan in front of a bunch of braavos and then I had to run from the man chasing me…" Rhaenys tried to add a bit of hysteria to her voice.

"It is perfectly fine. We can deal with this. Thank you for letting us now. Why don't we all go inside our chambers and see what supplies we need to get? We can buy you a new dress to replace that stained one." Brynden said.

Rhaenys nodded at that and motioned for her maids to follow her.

 **If anyone is curious the list of stuff that Brynden endured also includes making sure that Jon and his dragon ate enough by occasionally skipping a meal, using bucket water to clean himself, and the feelings of being watched gradually but continuously strain his nerves. But he is an awesome knight who could probably endure this in canon without making a big fuss about it, even if he would get a bit grumpy. Anyway, to one of my reviewers who mentioned that with their powerful magic there aren't many people who could take our three heroes on. That is a good point but remember what Kiritsugu was told when he tried to make a wish on the grail. He could not just use the grail and simply get his perfect world. He needed to come up with steps. Also, I now have a Tumblr. I will admit that the meta bloggers joannalannister, racefortheironthrone, goodqueenaly, warsofasoiaf, poorquentyn will likely have higher quality stuff than I do for a really long while. I am still in college and they seem to be older and more experienced. But if anyone is curious about what I ask them I don't ask anonymously. I go by oddballnerdguy, because honesty is the best policy.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hello everyone I hope you guys are doing well.** **I hope you are all enjoying the story and I am glad that I am getting readers. It was a bit hard for me when I first started, and you can tell with how small the chapters are, but I'm getting the hang of it and am improving. For anyone who is thinking about writing a story I think you should go for. If you don't have anything in your life taking up your spare time of course.**

 **Chapter 25 The** **Fall of the Dragonseeds**

There had once been a time where the illegitimate offspring of Houses Targaryen and Velaryon had a place of privilege. Or at the very least when they were not considered especially shameful and untrustworthy. There was even a title that specifically differentiated them from ordinary bastards; the Dragonseeds.

While most people would assume that the Blackfyres were the primary cause of Valyrian blooded bastard children being perceived as inherently grasping and opportunistic, there are earlier people who added more shame to being a bastard. Hugh Hammer and his drunken co-conspiritor betrayed Rhaenyra Targaryen during the Dance of Dragons. To make matters worse Hugh declared himself king later on during the war. Not even Adam Velaryon's loyalty to Rhaenyra had absolved bastards from the consequences of the Two Betrayer's actions. Nor had the Oakenfist's fame.

Alyn Velaryon had not been a dragonrider but he was a famous admiral. His exploits were still famous throughout Driftmark. Even Lord Lucerys had taken pride in his descent from the Oakenfist, easily ignoring the fact the Oakenfist had been a bastard.

When Aurane had been a young boy he admired the Oakenfist and dreamt of becoming a famous sailor. He had loved the songs of the bastard born admiral. The realities of being a baseborn boy with no powerful family name had struck him harshly. The tasks that he had on board had been difficult and he received little leniency for genuine blunders and the caprices of trueborn nobles.

Aurane still recalled the day when some insignificant highborn lord felt that he was not being given the proper deference he deserved. The flogging he received had been painful and he has not forgotten the humiliation he felt when he was forced to lower his breeches to his ankles and have his bare arse whipped while a smirking lord watched.

If that had not been bad enough Aurane foolishly went to his lord father in tears and expected the haughty Lord Lucerys to give him comfort. His lord father had no soft words or hugs to grant to a boy born on the wrong side of the sheets. Aurane later found out that his father wanted to have Sarra Staunton marry his heir for reasons that still eluded him. It wouldn't do if some bastard displeased the father of the "lovely" maiden. To rectify the "problem" Aurane caused, his lord father asked for Lord Staunton to come to his cabin to watch Aurane get a second lesson in showing proper respect to his betters. That had been even worse than the flogging, at least that ended quickly. Aurane will never forget the shame he felt when he was viewed Lord Staunton's smile as his lord father stripped him of his clothing, placed Aurane over his lap and mercilessly slapped his already sore arse. To Aurane's anger reminiscing of this event still made his eyes water.

 _"I see that you finally have learned your rightful place in the world, bastard. If you fail to respect me again I'll personally give you lesson in disrespecting your betters. I won't as gentle as your father had been."_ the pleased Lord Staunton told him.

Then Aurane had to apologize to the smug pissant for his "disrespect" and endure his lord father's disappointment for moons.

After that lesson Aurane's innocent dreams of sailing had been tainted and he had felt resentment at the harsh treatment he had been forced to endure. Trueborn children with family names can steal food for themselves and the protection from their House prevented any harsh rebukes for their actions. While Aurane had to eat food of low quality, work with little time to play or even rest the trueborn children onboard got to eat mouthwatering food, drink expensive wine and fritter away their time without contributing anything helpful to the sailors of the ship. Even when they did receive some physical punishment it was often on their hands. Aurane knew well enough that it was considered wiser to punish a disobedient boy's arse so that their hands can still keep working effectively.

Then the Targaryens fell from power. With how historically close his lord father's House had been with the deposed dynasty they were swiftly ejected from court. To make matters even worse his trueborn half-brother and his wife died in an unexpected accident.

Aurane had heard rumors that his lord father had been a court rival of Lord Tywin Lannister. If that was true Aurane wondered why would Lord Tywin tolerate a marriage between a Lannisport Lannister maiden and a Velaryon second son, much less why such a large dowry was given. Given his destruction of the Reynes and the Tarbecks Aurane doubted any Westerlander would dare do anything that might displease Lord Tywin.

 _"But what would a bastard know about marriage."_ Aurane thought wryly.

Lord Lucerys's health had been faltering and the added stress of the new usurping regime combined with a death of a son had ended his life prematurely. His lord father had considered Aurane a shame on his honor and a mouth that he begrudgingly had to feed, but he was still Aurane's father.

The Staunton wench had never been a person who Aurane liked, but she managed to become even worse after his lord father died. She had refused to teach the niece her husband's deceased brother left behind the skills that noblewomen were expected to learn. His half-brother decided to just allow their niece to do what she wished than argue with his harridan of a wife. Then she started to get ideas on how the Velaryons could regain prestige. When she suggested that The Late Lord Walder Frey would be the best marriage Alyssane could make his half-brother had gotten angry. The Velaryons still had enough honor to not sell its daughters to the wealthiest men who would take them. After that ploy was rightfully thrown out the Staunton wench kept on making unwanted suggestions. She claimed that the Faith would happily take the unnecessary mouth to feed and there was honor in serving the gods. When that was also refused she then tried to see if Lord Ardrian Celtigar would offer a large dower from his rumored large wealth. While his niece was a pretty girl the crotchety old man still refused to give a large amount of his wealth for her hand. When his trueborn nephew was born and his mother died in childbirth Aurane didn't mourn her. He doubted even Lord Monterys mourned her. Their gentle niece still offered her condolences.

Aurane still didn't understand why his niece would do that when her aunt had been such a menace. While she also had tried to get rid of him the fates she would have had for him were much gentler than being married to an old lecher. The Wall or the Citadel was surely better than being the Lady of the Crossing.

And now he was in exile with his niece, the Blackfish and the "rightful" king. Aurane still had doubts that a second marriage would be considered valid by the Faith of Seven, assuming that the Starks are even telling the truth. Aurane supposed that the sight of a dragon would silence any people with doubts.

But, Aurane had to admit the sight of the dragon was still majestic and inspired his awe. Aurane would be lying if he said that he had not been hoping to have one of the remaining two dragon eggs to become a dragon rider, like Adam Velaryon had been. Their encounter with the Princess Rhaenys Targaryen had dashed those dreams. Why would a bastard like him be given a dragon egg when there were two trueborn Valyrian blooded maidens were ready to take them? While he would never try to take anything from a niece who also had to suffer an overly proud Staunton, Aurane could still not stop feeling disappointed.

Aurane had to admit he would have never thought that the princess had survived the Sack of King's Landing. While her mother Princess Elia Martell had been tortured to death by an unknown Lannister sellsword the Princess's face had not been mutilated enough to make identifying her impossible. The toddler that the Lannisters gave the usurper had been burned until her hair and eyes were destroyed. In hindsight Aurane was able to see that the Lannisters had been trying to destroy any of the distinguishing features of the young girl they had murdered.

It vexed him that the princess claimed that his lord father had been a supporter of The Mad King Aerys. While Velaryons would always remain Targaryen loyalists at heart even they could no longer deny the man had lost his wits. Who would tell a toddler that an ancestral ally was not reliable? And how did she remember it many years later? Aurane had not spoken to his king and the Blackfish when they were bathing together out of a desire to not gain their attention after the princess's allegations. After years of being seen as an untrustworthy bastard son it frustrated him that the princess would remember divisions at court, and that his lord father picked the wrong side at court. He did not want to deal with a suspicious king.

Even though the princess did smear dirt on his lord father's name Aurane could not stop himself from feeling sympathy for her sad story. It still was galling that a princess with the blood of the dragon's would be forced to stoop as low to eventually have to sell themselves to the highest Braavosi bidder. He felt glad that they stumbled across her before she had to resort to desperate measures. His comments may be tactless at times but he was not a heartless man with no sympathy.

Aurane saw that his niece was following the emotional princess and her two Rogare companions to her room. Aurane then watched as the Blackfish grabbed the king's ear and started leading him towards their rooms. It was fortunate that the princess claimed the most luxurious room that was on the opposite side of the king's room. Aurane walked with the Blackfish and the king until they entered one of their rooms. The Blackfish let go of the king's ear and looked around and found a wooden board to bolt the door shut.

"Boy. Sit down on the bed and look at me in the eyes." Brynden ordered.

The boy king did as he was told. Aurane saw that the king's eyes were not watering and that he was looking straight at the Blackfish. When Aurane had been a boy his age he did not take his scoldings as well as the king is taking his.

"Boy, I am growing tired of how you say things without thinking. What you said this morning before we broke our fast was permissible because you did not know better, but how is your lack of sensitivity to your own sister acceptable?" the Blackfish lectured.

"Are you saying that it was a good idea that she did not tell us about the Kingsguard knights being alive when they were believed to be dead until much later?" the king asked.

The Blackfish frowned and then took a deep breath.

"Boy, while what you are saying does have some merit I am asking that you show your own sister some sympathy and patience. She was almost murdered by an assassin." the Blackfish said.

"I also have to question how she managed to sail so far north when she was originally being held in Lys. Wouldn't sailing to Dorne have been the seemingly wiser location to flee towards? It is much closer to Lys." the king said.

Now that the king was questioning this aspect of the princess's story Aurane could not help but mentally question this too. The Blackfish took a deep breath and sighed.

"Boy, you are just asking for me to place you over my knee. I am telling you this right now. If you go and ask this helpless young maiden why she wasn't capable of saving herself better than she was able to do I will not be happy. If either of you two criticize her actions then you will be sleeping on your stomachs for days." the Blackfish threatened them.

Aurane looked at the Blackfish's musculature through his tunic and winced. The Blackfish was more muscular than his lord father had been. Aurane was not going to ask the princess anything about her story.

"Don't normally kings have whipping boys for this kind of punishment?" the king asked.

The Blackfish chuckled at this.

"Boy, you haven't yet been anointed by the High Septon. I am not a cruel man but I am still a Tully. I have a strong respect for the Family part of my House words. I will not tolerate you saying callous things about your grandmother or your sister. You are my charge. While I am happy and willing to provide protection you will still obey me. You are a child and you will obey me." the Blackfish told the king sternly.

 _"When did the king say anything about Queen Rhaella?"_ Aurane wondered

"Yes, I will follow your orders. Ser Tully." the king said in a bland tone of voice.

"That is what I want to hear. If your actions aren't what I want to see you know what you will get. I am a Tully of Riverrun and I strongly value family. Your ancestors have not been strongly attached to family." the Blackfish stated with a wince.

Aurane wondered what the Blackfish was thinking. There were many examples of Targaryens treating their family members poorly. Aurane just realized why the Blackfish was being so unyielding.

"Even their incest did not create strong family bonds. Which is why I am going to instill proper values into you." the Blackfish said.

"What about Viserys Targaryen? I doubt he would be eager to claim me as a trueborn nephew." the king said.

Aurane did not have a comforting answer to that question. He could not imagine a potential claimant being happy to give up the Iron Throne. Even the Blackfish looked uncomfortable at this question.

"But I won't rip off his head with no warning to open my way to the Iron Throne. No one would want a kinslayer on the throne." the king said.

Aurane managed to see the implication that the king was insinuating. Maelys the Monstrous murdered his cousin by ripping off his head. The kinslayer later fought in the War of the Ninepenny kings. The Blackfish gained famed during that same war. The extensive education on the Blackfyres that his lord father had him learn finally came in handy for once.

"Well, I am glad that some regard for family has gotten into your thick skull. While I won't strike you this time for talking without thinking you are still going to get punished for this. You are going to toss out the contents of the privy and then clean it. And you are going to sleep in my room with me for a moon. I won't have you talking to her at night an upsetting her with questions." the Blackfish said.

The king accepted the punishment stoically. The Blackfish sighed again.

"This might seem harsh but the princess has been through a lot and giving her story scrutiny will likely upset her. So neither one of you will badger her or else." the Blackfish said.

"Yes Ser." the king said.

The king turned to Aurane.

"Yes Ser Brynden," Aurane hastened to say.

"How about we go and see how the princess is doing?" the Blackfish said.

The king and Aurane nodded and they all walked out of the room.

* * *

Aurane saw that the princess has composed herself. One of her Rogare companions still looked irate. The other Rogare looked calm and his niece was also stoic.

"Are you going to ask me more questions?" Princess Rhaenys asked.

"No, you have answered enough of my questions." the Blackfish said smiling.

The princess looked unhappy and just nodded at that.

"How about we all make a list of everything we need?" the Blackfish said.

"I could use a new dress." the Princess said sheepishly

Aurane had noticed that her white dress was still stained by water and mud, he just didn't comment on it.

"From what I have seen we are going to need candles, torches, dry wood, new cisterns, towels, brooms, chamberpots, freshwater, casks of ale and newer blankets and pillows." Alyssane said.

His niece had already diligently made observations about what is missing in this manor.

Alyssane also looked at the king and gave her observation. "I woukd recommend that his grace also get some new clothing. While his current clothes are vibrant, colorful and look rich it also makes him look like a fool. It also doesn't fit him properly. If you were looking to make him look regal and impressive there is no need. He already hatched a dragon. That is all he needs to look like a king." Alyssane said.

The king chuckled awkwardly at that. The Blackfish smiled with discomfort.

"When are we going to hatch the other two eggs?" Princess Rhaenys asked.

"Assuming that the two other eggs can be hatched without anything burning down or anyone being bleed dry I would recommend attempting to do so after we get more meat to feed the dragons." the Blackfish said.

The princess nodded at that.

"Let us all go back to our rooms and see if there is anything else we will need to get while we are getting more supplies." the Blackfish said.

 **I finally managed to reach my Aurane chapter. Aside from stuff in real life that take up my time I also take time to try to create a more detailed backstories for my characters. While going through what I know about Aurane from canon I reflected that he was not that attached to the legitimate members of his House, that he was likely taught at least some about sailing and that bastards usually have it pretty rough. Given how miserable life was for cabin boys there wasn't much else to punish them with aside from flogging. Not only do you guys now know more about this version of Aurane and how the Velaryons treated him, you also have some more information about Saber's backstory with House Velaryon. Thanks for reading this story and I hope you guys are looking forward to more of my writing.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

 **Hello everyone. I am glad that I have people interested in my stories and I apologize that I don't really have much spare time to devote to writing. Now that I have posted up the alternate universe to this continuity and you can already tell that just having Elia give birth to two children caused big changes. I already alluded to the point of divergance between that story and this one.**

 **Chapter 26** **The Personas Within**

Rhaenys Targaryen sighed and wondered how well her ploy worked. Claiming that she was planning to go into prostitution was meant to appeal to chivalry and convince the people she was trying to manipulate that she was a helpless maiden in need of rescuing.

Rhaenys actually briefly contemplated attempting to become a courtesan while she was in Braavos. The courtesans she watched had enough wealth that Sella and Leysritt would have been well provided for. While forcing wealthy men to hand over funds was not particularly difficult Rhaenys still needed to be careful she doesn't steal an amount that they'll notice and lead them to try to investigate why it went missing. Because of this she and her maids were forced to live in a more austere manner than they had been accustomed to in the Einzbern castles. A courtesan without magic could get obscene amounts of wealth from men and not be seen as suspicious. Even without the Mystic Eyes of Enchantment or Charm, Rhaenys was more than capable of getting money from her targets. She would not have even needed to have sex with anyone if she didn't want to. Rhaenys discarded the thought of becoming a courtesan as her silver-white hair and red eyes were uncommon and becoming renowned would draw too much attention to that. The thought of changing her hair or eye color was intolerable. She could not help but feel infuriated at the thought of discarding her last connections to her first mother.

Rhaenys grimanced. It was not an easy for her to decide to support her brother in his quest to claim the Iron Throne. Elia Martell refused to leave her only daughter behind and died because Rhaenys was not able to ensure she was kept safe. But she had a younger brother who needs an older sister to protect him. If she abandoned him after he protected her from Berseker how would she live with herself? Unfortunately the main threat to her brother at this moment is her maternal kin.

The Martells had sent someone to kill Jon. Giving the Kingsguard items enchanted with a regeneration spell had backfired on her interests. She managed to deduce that it was likely the Daynes that informed their overlords over her brother's ancestry.

Gerold Hightower and Oswell Whent are... not people she was entirely certain they should try to contact. They both had planned to kill Brynden Tully and then take Jon to indoctrinate him towards "Targaryen interests". Rhaenys did not consider herself a political mastermind but she was able to see how poorly killing a man attempting to protect her brother would be perceived. They also did not seem to be willing to easily change their minds when she tried to thaumaturgically pressure them to try to work with him.

Rhaenys grumbled. The Baratheons have Selmy and Lanninster. The Martells have Prince Lewyn and Dayne. They have Whent and Hightower. With Darry dead the Kingsguard is evenly split between the three factions.

 _"Hopefully the other_ four _are just as addled as the ones we have."_ Rhaenys thought.

As of this moment Rhaenys felt that she needed to wait until a better opportunity presents himself. It would likely be wise to wait until after her brother is old enough not to be saddled with a regency council like the Aegon that survived the Dance of Dragons. Rhaenys had no doubt that her brother would survive a war with the little pissant Viserys. She hoped that she would get to see his face when the Iron Throne is seated by a much better man. For all of his blood of the dragon raving, he did not actually have the powerful prana production capabilities that she, Saber and her brother have. If Valyria literally infused wyvern blood into their elite families any magical benefits have long since decayed for the other Targaryens.

 _"Illya,"_ she heard a voice call out her old name.

She sharply inhaled and prepared to channel prana. She looked around and no one else was in her room.

 _"I go by Dreamfyre nowadays but I have the memories the Archer class servant during the Holy Grail War."_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"Tohsaka's servant? How did something like that happen?"_ Rhaenys was not particularly adept with telepathy, Berserker was not the most conversationalist of servants, but she was talented enough to communicate back. _"And if that were true why didn't you go fly towards her?"_

 _"Tohsaka is alive and in this world? Who else has been reincarnated?"_ Dreamfyre asked.

 _"I am not certain I should disclose sensitive information with you."_ Rhaenys said.

 _"Fair enough. It isn't as if I am particularly upfront servant."_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"Your memories are from the arm that Shirou was transplanted with?"_ Rhaenys asked.

 _"Probably. It isn't like a heroic spirit being implanted into a phantasmal beast's body is a common event. I doubt even Zelretch has viewed a situation like this more than a few times."_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"You are Shirou from some point in the future?"_ Rhaenys asked. It was a convoluted situation but given the fact that the transplanted arm didn't immediately kill Shirou it was a reasonable guess.

 _"Unlike Saber I am merely the leftovers of a copy of a Shirou Emiya_ _from another timeline than the one who you fought in your Holy Grail War."_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"What do you mean unlike Saber?"_ Rhaenys asked. While she was aware that heroic spirits are copies from the Throne of Heroes implanted into a class container Rhaenys was still sad that any version of her brother can refer to himself so dismissively.

 _"I spoke too much. I wouldn't want to share what Saber's situation was even with you without her permission."_ Dreamfyre said.

Rhaenys was annoyed. While she acknowledged that she was not being forthcoming she didn't appreciate being on the receiving end. But it wasn't like she was going to ask Saber something she was not comfortable talking about.

 _"Are you going to support our campaign to get the Iron Throne?"_ Rhaenys asked. A dragon would make reconquering the throne much easier. Every Targaryen should agree with that sentiment.

 _"I would gladly be your mount if you decide not to hatch your own egg."_ Dreamfyre said.

Rhaenys frowned. If she hatched her own egg she was not certain how it's personality would be like. While she kept a Heracles in the Berserker class under her control she had command seals helping her remain connected with Berserker.

 _"How did you first start recalling your memories as the Archer class servant."_ Rhaenys asked.

 _"As soon as a familiar contract was created between me and my other self. "Jon Snow" was born with the skinchanger sorcery trait and that might have helped with the memories being implanted into my new body."_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"Would you know why Shirou's appearance is so different from what it used to be?"_ Rhaenys asked. That was especially noticeable change given how she, Saber and Tohsaka looked very much like their previous bodies. Sakura Matou had black hair and blue eyes but Rhaenys simply assumed that was how she looked like before Zouken's magecraft altered her body.

 _"I would guess it was because our Reality Marbles were colliding and his soul was being torn apart. His soul might not have had the blueprints needed to make his new body resemble his previous one."_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"How is his Reality Marble at the moment? It is powerful magecraft almost on the level of True Magic, but it is forbidden for a reason."_ Rhaenys asked.

 _"I am certain that the Holy Grail altered the body and soul. This level of change that I have felt is much like how it originally changed my origin and element into sword. His prana feels more... Fae than what I have had in the past."_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"Fae? That type of Mystery shouldn't be possible with human magecraft. That would certainly need something as powerful as the grail to invoke."_ Rhaenys said with a widening smile. If what the dragon was saying is true then her brother has a powerful blessing aside from the Saber's dragon blood.

 _"We kept Saber's lost Noble Phantasm in our bodies since the last day of the Fourth Holy Grail War. And since he has been reincarnated he had not only the scabbard but her sword Excalibur inside his Reality Marble."_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"Are there any repercussions from holding two powerful noble phantasms inside his soul?"_ Rhaenys asked.

 _"We have always had a "distorted" view of the world. But any negative after effects I have not detected them yet."_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"What sort of magecraft does Shirou have?"_ Rhaenys asked. If Fairy magic and Reality Marbles are as above ordinary magecraft as they are reputed to be then her brother surely has powerful tools in his arsenal.

 _"Right now he has Structural Grasping, Reinforcement, unconscious skinchanging, and a divination sorcery trait."_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"That's it."_ Rhaenys asked incredously. Given how powerful Reality Marbles and the Fae were supposed to be she was expecting more. _"What good can low level spells like Structural Grasping and Reinforcement be?"_

 _"Structural Grasp is a versatile spell that makes Reinforcement even more powerful. Aside from strengthening muscles Reinforcement can make food higher quality. Given how most peasants here are malnourished that is not a small thing."_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"How does Reinforcement work on food?"_ Rhaenys asked. She heard the saying that an army marched on its stomach but she doubted a spell like _Reinforcement_ would be a big help there.

 _"It makes it more nutritious, influence how it tastes and makes it last longer without spoiling. At sea we could use it to make sure none of us have gotten scurvy if the sailing took too long and we ran out of supplies."_ Dreamfyre said.

Rhaenys could not argue with that. Getting a balanced diet before she moved to White Harbor with her maids had always been an inconvenient pain.

 _"It's not if Kiritsugu taught us much magecraft. We used our nerves as circuits instead of the ones we naturally had for years."_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"YOU DID WHAT?"_ Rhaenys asked appalled. She was well experienced with dealing with pain when she channeled prana but using the nervous system was infamously painful and did not even create much prana. At the very least she had immense levels of prana that would have overwhelmed many mages. Shirou wouldn't have even have had that as compensation.

 _"It isn't as if using my nerve circuits was a big problem. All I had to deal with was some pain and some nerve damage afterwards. And I was able to use my natural circuits after I discovered my error."_ Dreamfyre said.

That was the stupid lack of concern over personal safety that always frustrated her. It was very worrying how cavalier her brother can be over his own well being.

 _"How good do you think our odds of taking the Iron Throne from the Baratheons are."_ Rhaenys asked hoping that a change in subject would make her feel better.

 _"They are honestly pretty bad."_ Rhaenys felt like she was punched in the gut. _"The only reason why Tully is taking us away from Westeros is so that the Starks do not get caught with the symbol of Targaryen power in the hands of a potential rival for the throne. If it weren't for the "Rains of Castamere" family being married towards the Baratheons they might have just killed me and kept their alliegance towards Robert Baratheon. It's not like Brynden Tully here is taking us that seriously as a royals. We do not even know what the current head of House Tully even has to say about potentially supporting our claim"_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"... What do you mean he is not taking our royalty seriously?"_ Rhaenys asked.

 _"Our gallant knight is dealing with his charge more like a troublesome fugitive that he can not stop sheltering instead of a king whose throne was usurped. He threatened to give him a spanking for him trying to touch his sword while he was sleeping and not showing you enough sympathy while you were telling your story. I personally find it amusing, if the pain of using nerves as circuits did not stop us from doing that daily for years no amount of arse slapping would stop him from doing something incredibly stupid if he really wants to. Trust me, I should know."_ Dreamfyre said.

Rhaenys decided to sit down in her bed. She didn't know what was worse. That her brother can go through pain for years and not realize he was fucking up magic or that their primary guardian was not giving them the appropriate amount of deference their station deserves. Even though she found Viserys incredibly annoying she never would have slapped him in the face like she always wanted to when she saw him open his mouth, and then every time she heard his voice.

 _"If any of us attempt to retaliate or harm Tully in any way our support will likely dry up."_ Rhaenys said.

 _"Probably. Given House Targaryen's reputation for violent madness Brynden Tully dying will look bad. It's not like sharing the motive will get us more sympathy. No, our king isn't a violent madman our king here is a joke."_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"Why... did the Starks entrust their... kin with this man?"_ Rhaenys asked.

 _"The people at Winterfell are not fond of the Targaryens. While working in the kitchens there has been a lot of negative things said about Rhaella Targaryen and Viserys Targaryen."_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"The Starks made their rightful king work in their kitchens!?"_ Rhaenys asked.

 _"The Starks and Tullys don't see him as the rightful king. They see him as a fugitive that they are too associated with to just get rid of."_ Dreamfyre explained in a tone that seemed to be spoken as if she were a simple child.

 _"How would we get them to support our claim?"_ Rhaenys asked.

 _"If the king currently on the Iron Throne finds out about what the Starks did that would get them supporting us very quickly. Even if the king and Eddard Stark were fostered together that won't stop the Lannisters from getting angry and trying to kill all the Starks. It's not like the Starks and Tullys were interested in finding out first hand what happened to the Reynes. Aside from that, if the king on the Iron Throne becomes intolerable or unacceptable then they might be willing to use us to get a king they find preferable."_ Dreamfyre said.

Rhaenys took several deep breathes.

 _"I want the old moderator, Kirei Kotomine, in hell. I might be willing to live in secrecy and exile but I want that man dead."_ Rhaenys said.

 _"Kirei. He is also reincarnated. Of course the Grail would also include him in this world. I know enough about his fighting style and with Avalon, Excalibur and dragons if we seriously tried to kill him there is not much he can do to defend himself."_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"I want to kill him myself."_ Rhaenys declared.

 _"I think that trying to fight an Executor on your own is st... unwise. I would much prefer you have help. Or at least get training from Saber before you go after a target like that."_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"He was the one who murdered Princess Elia Martell."_ Rhaenys answered the silent question.

 _"Will you be joining the people who are going to buy more supplies?"_ Dreamfyre asked.

 _"I think I am too emotionally upset to go out in public. I'll stay here and calm down. My dress if still stained but that isn't a problem with magecraft. My maids know my measurements and can get me new ones without me being there."_ Rhaenys said.

 _"I am probably going to be left on the island too._ _He was obviously worried that I would set the ship on fire if I went out of control._ _"_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"When I saw both of them together I thought they were like Ser Duncan the Tall and Aegon the Fortunate. I mistook their interactions as paternal."_ Rhaenys said irritably.

" _I am certain that Ser Duncan the Tall was the inspiration for the squiring and adventuring in Essos cover story. Except it's almost the exact opposite. The knight is a highborn, we are in Essos instead of Westeros, we are staying put and trying to be isolated instead of interacting with the less fortunate. It's almost laughable."_ Dreamfyre said.

 _"I am certain that Duncan the Tall would never dare threaten to physically strike a prince of the blood for being irritating."_ Rhaenys said. Rhaenys sighed. _"I am tired. Can I retire for the night."_

 _"Of course."_ Dreamfyre said.

After several seconds without a further response Rhaenys relaxed. She wondered what would happen if she were to create a familiar bond with her own dragon. Berserker was a reliable servant, restrained in utility perhaps, and she imagined that the previous dragon riders of House Targaryens had a similar bond with their aggressive mounts. But if the dragon were to look inside of her for another personality then the one that could be inside her psyche would be the Primeval Justeaze. She was "created" in her image and did have some remnants of Justeaze that she was able to consciously access. Rhaenys was not certain if creating a bond with a dragon would have a similar phenomenon that her brother and his dragon have, but if she wanted to help their cause a dragon would be an immense help.

Rhaenys decided to just sleep on it and see how the situation develops. It wasn't as if they were running out of time after all.

 **Sorry for the long wait again. I am not certain if anyone caught the parallels between Dunk and Egg with Brynden and Jon but that was one thing that was the idea behind the whole "squire" story. For the guest that asked about reinforcing food sorry it took so long to answer that. Also for the reviewer that guessed that Dreamfyre was Counter Guardian Emiya, you guessed right. I'm glad that my stories are getting readers and I hope you are enjoying the fruits of my time and labor.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Dear readers,**

 **I just wanted to make the announcement that I am going to attempt to rewrite this story in an attempt to improve it's quality. I am not sure if you noticed but at first the chapters lengths are really small and then they start becoming less consistent in length. I decided that I would look to the examples of fics that I like to read and to have my new policy be 10,000 words in content. I have also noticed a persistent grammar mistake where I have dialogue in quotes end with a comma instead of a period. I am not certain where there error came from.**

 **Anyway I am going to leave up this story until the rewrite reaches the point where the characters found a place to hide in Lorath.**

 **I just wanted to say that I am glad that there are people who like to read what I write and I would like to apologize for any inconvenience that I have caused you with this rewrite. I wish has a bunch of chapters, 26 actually, but if I were to follow my new 10,000 word policy this story would be less than 6 full chapters. I am not particularly skilled at writing, I am a science major, but I am willing to try to keep improving my writing.**

 **I apologize for the inconvenience and hope that you guys understand why I am trying to improve this story. I like the Illyasviel reincarnates into Westeros premise and if I don't see anyone trying to write out this story I decided I should give this a shot. I should have "Wishing for an Everdistant Utopia"'s first chapter posted up by this point.**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Dragon of Avalon**


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